Temple of the Zodiac
by Tortured Artist
Summary: Part of The Mystery of Snoozer quadrilogy. Years have past since Neteru's and the Ham-Hams' trip to Halastia, and the mystery of the Caidoz pieces has been discovered. Now they must collect the pieces before it can be used to destroy the Earth.
1. Prologue

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 1: Prologue

_Author's note: This is the fourth story in the series. Since this is a sequel, it would be easier to understand this story if you had read all three of the following stories in the order presented: "The Mystery of Snoozer", "Walk a Mile In Your Shoes", and "Journey to the Island of Halastia." Also, special thanks to Crosser, Matthew Strittmatter and Francis Doyon for giving me those ideas._

Far out at sea, far from human eyes, was an island that was ruled by the Ham-Hams. An island known as Halastia. One of the cities that make up Halastia was Zolphville and one night, within an abandoned building in Zolphville, a demonic creature waited in silence. This demonic figure was Glabrezu, a demon who was summoned Hell itself by the god named Bocka. Glabrezu looked like an ordinary Ham-Ham but his visage seemed more devilish in nature. He stood as tall as Boss and he was covered in dark brownish-red fur. His eyes were completely white (as oppose to the usual dark eyes with highlights) and his ears were pointed. He paced back and forth, anxiously awaiting his partner Spat. The dark room he was in was filled with nothing but old furniture and dirty floors, a sign that no one had used the building in years. Because of it's neglected state, it was the perfect place to wait for Spat without being disturbed. Eventually, Glabrezu was greeted by the sound of beating wings as Spat flew in through the open window and landed gracefully onto the ground.

"You're late." said Glabrezu.

"I'm sorry but this place is hard to see at night, even from the sky, pfpth." said Spat. Spat had white fur with some gray around the head, ears, and around the legs. He had long black bat wings and on his head was a black hat with two arrow tipped antennas on top. In his paw was a pitch fork which was his weapon. Just like Glabrezu, Spat wasn't a ham-ham either despite his appearance. He was a creature known as celestial. A spiritual guardian, also from another plane of existence.

Curious, Spat asked, "What are we doing here, anyway?"

"We need a change of tactics." said Glabrezu. "We are not beat yet."

"Pfpth, are you crazy?" said Spat. "We've lost. Neteru and the others have two of the Caidoz pieces, we don't know where the remaining ten are located, we don't have the Giga Stone or know who has it, and your portal to Hell has been destroyed. We've lost."

"Don't be so sure of yourself." shouted Glabrezu, unmoved by the speech. "There is bound to be at least one other portal to Hell out there. The loss of one is meaningless."

"And what about the Caidoz pieces?" asked Spat. "I couldn't activate the pieces with the poem you gave me and not to mention that we have no clue as to where the other pieces could be."

"Fool, you don't have what it takes to activate the pieces." said Glabrezu. "Only someone chosen by the stars can activate them."

"Chosen by the stars?" said Spat. "What does that mean?"

"I'll explain it to you later." said Glabrezu. "As for the remaining Caidoz pieces, I have a plan on how to obtain them. But we can't start the plan now. We must wait. Oh yes. We will wait before we strike..."

Four years later...

Four years had past since the Ham-Ham's adventure to the island of Halastia and even after four years, both human and ham-ham alike have changed. Laura and her friends have matured after fours. Now they are fourteen years old and they had just graduated from their freshmen year at high school. Physically, they had matured significantly since they were in the fifth grade. Their hair styles haven't changed but they certainly have developed a new sense of fashion. But after four years, one thing hasn't changed: they were still hamans. Hamans are humans with the power to transform into a hamster at will and Laura, Kana, June, Kylie, Travis, and Roberto still had this power and they still use it. It was a power they had inherited from a mysterious little statue that was created millennias ago. Now that they can change into hamsters, Laura and her friends can now hang out with Hamtaro and the other Ham-Hams on their fun adventures. Thanks to this new found power, they were now capable of connecting to their hamsters in ways they couldn't before. Even Roberto had managed to get over his fear of rodents and he became more friendly, even to the other Ham-Hams.

Of course, the hamans aren't the only ones who have changed. Although some humans still remain the same, others had made some changes of their own such as Laura's parents, Marion and Forrest, who still have the same jobs as they had four years ago. This fact also applies to Kana's parents, Cindy and Conrad. Laura's cousin, Jake, still lives across the street from her with his pet hamster Moonbeam. Several blocks away from Laura's house, Maria, Bijou's owner, had recently graduated from high school and is now in college so she could receive a music major. Cappy's owners, Kip and Sue, recently had a baby together which they had named Mark. Cappy was concerned that once the baby was born, they would spend more attention on Mark than on Cappy. Luckily for me, that never happened. Infact, both Kip and Sue both spoil Mark and Cappy the same way. Goldie, Howdy's owner, never married her best friend Curtis, who is Dexter's owner. Instead, she married her boyfriend, Henry, but she still owns her grocery store right next to Curtis's glasses shop. Glitter and Sparkle are still in show biz together and they are still selling popular music albums but neither the Ham-Hams nor their owners have seen hide or hair of those two in person for a long time.

Panda's owner, Mimi, has grown. She is now nine years old and she still lives in the shop that her parents own and run. She still has her rare gift to understand ham-hams and whenever Panda's around, she frequently talks to him like a best friend. Tina, Mimi's little sister, has also grown too and the two sisters are still inseparable to this day.

Hillary (Sandy's owner) and Noel (Stan's owner) are officially boyfriend and girlfriend and the two are making plans to get married. Philip Yoshi still works in the same fifth grade class where he taught Laura and next year, Mimi will soon join his class. He and his wife, Charlotte, now live in their own house next to the school where they started their life together and agreed to raise a family. Two years ago, Charlotte gave birth to their first child. A girl which they had named Robin. Charlotte is currently five months pregnant with her second child and she's in school studying to be a veterinarian. She still works at her father's farm in order to pay her way through school and support her family. Dr. Lion, the traveling vet, had set up a permanent practice in town and he receives the Ham-Hams as patients frequently. Gabriel Black is still writing and he's still as strange as ever. Kana's uncle Dylan still lives on his farm with Pepper. Laura's grandparents, Willow and William, still live in the old house where Forrest grew up. Tragically, about two years ago, William suffered a heart attack. He survived but he's now no longer as active as he used to be but he still invents and he's still the cheerful grandfather Laura had always known.

Of course, even the ham-hams have made their own changes but not by much. They all still exhibit the same happy and friendly nature they've always had and they still exhibit their own habits such as the fact that Boss still tries to impress Bijou, Dexter and Howdy still have their eyes on Pashmina and compete for her attention, and Panda still builds for the Clubhouse. Maxwell and Sandy are still together and now they show their feelings for each other more openly which tends to gross out some of the boys. Penelope has matured a lot. She now speaks fluent english and she has also out grown her old blanket. Terra, the psionic hedgehog, and Moonbeam, the young sorcerous, still come by the Clubhouse. However, despite their seemingly peaceful and carefree lifestyle, the Ham-Hams were none the less struck with tragedy when Elder Ham past away about a year ago. He was buried on the top of a hill that over looked the sea which, according to Auntie Viv, was Elder Ham's favorite place to sleep. The Ham-Hams visit his grave at least once a month and they like to give him sun flower seeds and flowers to him.

Despite the tragedy and all the other changes that were made, there was one change that was the most joyful to the Ham-Hams. It was the glorious change that happened between Mara and Neteru. Those two still live together in their own underground house but their lives together have become even more special when they had a baby together. Shortly after they had returned from their adventure, Neteru and Mara made the big decision to take their relationship one step further and two weeks later, Mara made the exciting discovery that she was pregnant. At the time, some of the Ham-Hams didn't even know how pregnancy worked. Fortunately, Maxwell had medical books on the subject which helped Mara endure the physical demands of pregnancy and it also educated the Ham-Hams. After months of preparation, Mara first felt labor pains early one morning. The Ham-Hams did everything they could to comfort Mara as she went through the labor process in which Neteru bravely volunteered to deliver the child. After hours of labor, Mara successfully gave birth to their first son which they had named Kaiu. Kaiu resembles his father but instead of a white front, his was yellow, just like his mother's fur. The Ham-Hams loved the little ham and Kaiu became an important part of their family as well as Mara and Neteru's.

With their lives heading for wonderful futures and the new additions to their families, it seemed that the Ham-Hams and the hamans will never again have to face any of the dangers they faced four years ago but that was about to change. Glabrezu and Spat are still out there and they seek to obtain the twelve Caidoz pieces so they could free their lord and master, Bocka, from the Astral Plane. After four years, these two miscreants have plotted to steal the pieces. Meanwhile, two of the Caidoz pieces are still in the possession of the Ham-Hams, unaware as to how to use them and they probably never would have learned how if it weren't for the events that happened across the sea...


	2. The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 2: The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac

It all began far out at sea, on the island of Halastia, the island of the ham-hams. In the sea port town of Zolphville, a ham-ham was busy working on his latest discovery. This ham-ham is named Daruth, a short hamster who is covered in white fur that is dotted with light brown spots all over. He wore a gray vest and a large, thick pair of glasses which magnified his eyes, giving him an owl-like appearance. Daruth is an archeologist who likes to collect rare artifacts from ham-ham history. He studies ancient and extinct civilization from ham-ham history and collects both magical and nonmagical artifacts of every type. He used to own one of the Caidoz pieces until he gave his piece to the Ham-Hams. Even though he can no longer study the piece directly, he still likes to do research on the pieces along side his other research.

Daruth lives in a large house which is filled from top to bottom in ancient artifacts that were hung along the walls. The house was more quiet then it used to be, primarily because his roommates, Seamore and Barrette, had already moved out of the house. The two got married almost a year ago and now they live in the photo shop that they now own. Their new photo shop is in Zolphville so Daruth is still in contact with them and visits them sometimes.

Alone in his office, Daruth sat at a desk with piles of books and papers. The office itself was no different than the rest of the house since the walls were pea green and covered with artifacts that hung upon the walls. Daruth was busy deciphering the message on a piece of parchment and as he translated the message word for word, he soon began to become more interested with every bit of the message he read.

"This is incredible." said Daruth in amazement. "This single piece of parchment holds the secrets to the Caidoz pieces. With this information, I could become famous." The parchment was written in an ancient oriental language which has been dead for years and only the brightest of scholars know how to speak it. The parchment contained lots of information about the Caidoz pieces, more information than in any text book Daruth had ever read. It was so revealing and detailed, Daruth often questioned whether or not this was real and not a forgery but when he noticed that the parchment was indeed centuries old and its contents fit with the myths of the Caidoz pieces, Daruth believed that he was looking at the key to the secrets of the Caidoz.

Without warning, there was a knock on the door. Curious and irritated by the visitor, Daruth got out of his chair and walked to the front door, repeating "Badda-Badda" as he walked. He opened it and to his surprise, there was a ham-ham standing there but this was no ordinary ham-ham. This was a ham-ham he had only met once four years ago. It was so long ago, Daruth almost didn't recognize her at first. She was a rosy cheeked ham-ham who was covered in white fur. Strapped around her head was a head band of some kind which suspended a large gold ring over her head and in her left paw, she held a wand with a gold star on the tip of it. The ham-ham wore a large white coat which matched her white fur. The coat, no doubt, was used to cover up her long white bird wings.

"Heke? Harmony, what are you doing here?" asked Daruth to the ham-ham before him.

"I need to speak to you, it is very urgent." said Harmony in desperation. "Can I come in?"

"Well, okay." said Daruth, not sure why she would want to see him. Harmony came into the house and took off her coat, revealing her wings.

"Why do you want to speak with me?" asked Daruth.

"It's about the Caidoz pieces." said Harmony. "I fear the worst will happen."

"The worst?" asked Daruth concerned. "Tell me what has happened." Harmony began to explain to Daruth who listened with full concentration. He could not believe his ears what Harmony was telling him and the more she spoke, the more Daruth realized that this was a problem of world ending size.

Boss woke up one morning from a dream where he was marrying Bijou. He woke up just before he was about to kiss her. Irritated that he had to wake up right in the middle of the good part, he got out of bed and walked into his living room, repeating "Daba-Daba" as he walked. After eating another breakfast of seeds, he combed his fur, fixed up some tea and read a book in his favorite chair while waiting for the Ham-Hams. The first group of Ham-Hams to walk into the room was Hamtaro, Bijou, Oxnard, and Pashmina.

"Hamha." greeted Hamtaro as he came into the Clubhouse.

"Where's the snacks, Boss?" asked Oxnard.

"Hey guys, I've been waiting for you." said Boss. "I got a pot of hot tea out for ya."

"Hamtastic, I'm thirsty from the walk over here." said Pashmina.

"Yes, pour me some." said Bijou.

As they gathered around the table, another visitor came into the Clubhouse. This Ham-Ham was no more taller than Pashmina. She was covered in brown fur on her back which completely covered her head and half of her face, leaving the fur on the other half of her face and along her front to be white.

"Hamha, did I miss anything?" asked the ham-ham.

"Bonjour, Penelope." greeted Bijou. "Sit down with us and have some of zis tea Boss made for us."

"Okay." said Penelope happily as she came over to the table.

The Ham-Hams continued to snack and drink tea. It wasn't long until some more visitors showed up. It was Mara, Neteru, Kaiu, Moonbeam, and Terra and all of them came into the Clubhouse one at a time. The first to come in was Terra who was a light brown and white hedgehog with lots of long spines running along her back. She was a psion which is like a sorcerer but uses psychic abilities, also known as "psionics." Following close behind Terra was Moonbeam who was a sorcerous ham-ham with dark gray fur all over her body. In her paw was a magical staff which was made out of stone and shaped like a golf tee. On top of the staff was a round blue stone. Coming in after Moonbeam was Mara who was covered in mustard yellow fur and in her paw was a staff which looked like a metal golf tee with a glass icosahedron on the top of it. Neteru came up behind Mara and in his paw was a staff that was in a cone shape and at the base of the cone was a large green diamond. After Neteru, Kaiu came bursting out of the door as if he was on fire. Kaiu ran to the table, repeating "Badda-Badda" as he did, hopping up and down playfully.

"Hamha, Bijou." greeted Kaiu cheerfully.

"Bonjour." said Bijou.

"Easy now, Kaiu." said Mara.

"That boy is just bursting with energy." said Terra with a smile.

"He reminds me of me when I was that age." said Moonbeam. For a ham-ham, Kaiu was very small, probably no bigger than Penelope was four years ago. Peaking over the table, he noticed the pile of seeds sitting on top of it.

"Oooh, yummy." said Kaiu as he reached over for the seeds.

"Now Kaiu, you already had breakfast this morning." said Neteru.

"But Daddy, can't I have just one." pleaded Kaiu. Neteru sighed.

"Okay, but just one." said Neteru. Neteru reached over and picked up a sun flower seed from the plate on the table. He handed the seed over to his son who gnawed the seed's shell off, repeating "Packa-Packa" as he did so. He then bit into the seed, saying "Krmp" as he did so. Oxnard smiled as he watched Kaiu eat.

"At least he knows the value of a good snack." said Oxnard.

Over time, more of the Ham-Hams came to the Clubhouse, including the hamans, Laura, Kana, June, Kylie, Travis, and Roberto. In her hamster form, Laura is completely brown from top to bottom and she even has miniature hair clips on her head. Kana is also brown but her front is completely white in an oval shape on her chest and belly and a white circle on her face. She also wore hamster size glasses. June was covered completely in yellow fur that was more lighter in color than Mara's. Kylie's hamster form was completely covered in orange fur. She also still had her pig tails. Travis's form is a gray hamsters with black tiger stripes located in the same position as Sandy and Stan's brown tiger stripes. Roberto was entirely covered in crimson colored fur. The fur on top of his head stuck out everywhere in the same hair fashion Roberto's hair was in when he was human.

Once the whole Ham-Ham gang got together in the Clubhouse, they all decided to go to Acorn Mountain for a picnic. Now that school was over and summer had begun, the kids had all the time they wanted, enough time to spend with the Ham-Hams in another picnic. As usual, there was acorns all over Acorn Mountain, leaving plenty for the Ham-Hams to munch on. Everyone sat upon blankets, eating their lunches which included seeds and nuts that were brought along on their trip. After eating, they enjoyed some leisurely activities such as sit on the blankets and exchange some gossip, explore the trees, or played around with the nuts. Kaiu and Neteru spent their time by playing catch with a little red ball nearby. Neteru tossed the ball to Kaiu who caught it easily in his paws. Kaiu threw the ball back to Neteru but the toss was weak, causing it to fall short right in front of Neteru. Neteru picked up the the ball and said to Kaiu, "Nice toss but try to put in more muscle to it." Neteru threw the ball at Kaiu and Kaiu caught it just as it flew over his head.

"Daddy, did you see that catch?" said Kaiu excitedly.

"Yeah, that was really good, son." said Neteru. "Now see if you can throw it back to me." Kaiu threw the ball again. Although the ball didn't fall short like last time, it was too far to the right, missing Neteru entirely.

Mara watched Kaiu and Neteru playing catch nearby and smiled. She sat on a blanket along side Laura, Kana, Bijou, Pashmina, and Penelope. The girls were having a conversation together about their day.

"So your parents are going to Hawaii?" asked Mara, turning her gaze away from Neteru and Kaiu.

"Oh yes, my parents have been planning this trip for months and when the other adults found out about that, they decided to go to Hawaii together as a group." explained Laura.

"Yeah, my parents are going," said Kana, "so is Jake's, June's, Kylie's, Roberto's, and Travis's."

"When are zey leaving?" asked Bijou.

"They already left." said Laura. "We were all wishing them 'good luck' this morning while they caught their flight."

"But why didn't you guys come along?" asked Mara.

"Only Jake got to go." said Laura. "We got to stay home all buy ourselves."

Not far away, Neteru threw the ball back to Kaiu but it was a hard toss, allowing the ball to fly high into the air. Kaiu lifted both paws into the air as he blindly ran backwards to catch it.

"Badda-Badda." repeated Kaiu as he ran but the ball sailed right through is paws and was instead caught by someone directly behind him.

"You know, you should try focusing your paws more closely together when you are trying to catch a ball from that position." said the ham-ham behind Kaiu. Kaiu spun around and gasped when he noticed that the ham-ham had long white wings. It was Harmony. Kaiu took a step back away from Harmony, not sure as to what to make of her. Neteru ran up to Kaiu's side, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as he ran. Once he was close enough, Kaiu grabbed his father's paw and said, "Daddy, who is this?"

"This Harmony." said Neteru with a smile. "Don't worry, she wont hurt you."

"Did that child call you 'Daddy?'" asked Harmony.

"Yep, this is my son, Kaiu." said Neteru.

"Oh, he's so cute." said Harmony sweetly. She knelt down and picked up Kaiu and held him by his arm pits over her head. "Oh, I can see his father in him. Is Mara his mother?"

"Why yes." said Neteru bluntly.

"That would explain his yellow fur." said Harmony.

"Could you please put me down." said Kaiu, starting to feel very uncomfertable. As instructed, Harmony placed Kaiu back onto his feet.

It was then that Neteru noticed Daruth standing right behind her. He seemed a bit tired and sweaty as if he had ran all the way from Halastia.

"Daruth, is that you?" asked Neteru.

"Yes, it's me." said Daruth as he cleaned off a lens from his glasses using a corner of his vest.

"Kaiu, this is Daruth, a friend of mine from over seas." said Neteru. "Do you remember him?"

"I remember you mentioning that you met him during your adventure to Halastia." said Kaiu. The reason why Kaiu knew that was because Neteru often liked to tell him stories about his adventures as a bed time story. Turning to Daruth, Neteru said, "Daruth, this is my son, Kaiu."

"A son?" asked Daruth. "I you didn't mention you had a child when we met."

"Mara only became pregnant with Kaiu shortly after we came home from the journey." explained Neteru.

At that point, everyone began to notice Harmony and they all began to crowd around her and Daruth. Soon, the two visitors were being overwhelmed by questions.

"When did you get here?"

"Where have you been?"

"Do you know where Spat is?"

Eventually, Neteru silenced them by casting a simple spell that made a loud "cracking" noise in the air which silenced the Ham-Hams out of surprise. Harmony laughed.

"I see you are all glad to see me." said Harmony. "However, I'm afraid to say that Daruth and I are not here to socialize for you see we are all in grave danger."

"Danger?" said Kaiu, hugging his dad's arm in fright. "Are we going to be attacked?"

"Not at the moment." said Harmony. "Our problems involve Glabrezu, Spat, and the Caidoz pieces."

"Heke?" came a loud chorus from the Ham-Hams.

"You mean those two are still after the Caidoz pieces?" asked Howdy. "Oldlee, I thought we taught them a lesson last time."

"Well, after we had thwarted their plans last time, they seemed to have gone into hiding and have reappeared to continue their hunt for the Caidoz pieces." said Harmony.

"What makes you say that?" asked Maxwell.

"I had a vision." explained Harmony. "I was performing one of my weekly mediations when suddenly, I had this vision. In my vision, I saw Glabrezu and Spat talking to each other and Glabrezu had told Spat that he knew where the pieces were and he was going to get them immediately."

"How did you get a vision?" asked Penelope.

"My mediations often reveal to be visions of the past, present, or future." explained Harmony. "It's an old divination trick where we can unconsciously receive visions from the divine." Neteru agreed with Harmony, considering the fact that he once had a vision of Terra in his sleep.

"I assumed Glabrezu had discovered how the pieces work so after I received my vision, I decided to go to Daruth, since he was already familiar with the pieces, to find out if he might know anything new about the Caidoz pieces and fortunately, he did." continued Harmony.

"What did he know?" asked Kaiu.

"I have discovered the secret to the Caidoz pieces." said Daruth proudly.

"Really?" said Bijou. "What eez ze secret?"

"Well, bring the two pieces you already have to me and I will show you." said Daruth.

"They are both still inside my home." said Terra. "I'll go over and get them." And with that, Terra ran off back to her home.

Twenty minutes later, Terra was seen running back up to Acorn Mountain with two Caidoz pieces in her paws. She came up to Daruth and gave the two Caidoz pieces to Daruth. The pieces were made out of gold. They were shaped like slices of pizza and at the tip, there was some kind of a short extension perpendicular to the piece itself. Daruth give one piece back to Terra and held the other one in his paw. He then gave the piece to Neteru and said to him, "Neteru, I want you to place your paw on this piece and say this poem: 'I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me.'" Curious as to what might happen, Neteru said the poem with his paw on the piece but when he finished reciting the poem, nothing happened. There was some confused glances from the Ham-Hams.

"Well that was anticlimactic." said Dexter.

"Well, why don't you try it, Dexter." said Daruth who took the piece out of Neteru's paw and gave it to Dexter.

"Well, all right." said Dexter. He placed his paw on the piece and then said the same poem as before but, just like last time, nothing happened.

"Exactly what are we doing?" asked Roberto.

"We are trying to activate the piece but only a certain person can do it." said Daruth.

"Ha, I bet I can do it." said Howdy.

"What makes you think that you can activate this piece when I can't?" interjected Dexter.

"Just watch me." said Howdy as he took the piece out of Dexter's paw. Howdy chanced a glance at Pashmina, making sure that she was looking, and then he placed his paw on the piece. "'I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me.'"

Without warning, the Caidoz piece that Howdy was holding began to glow a bright violet color right after Howdy completed the poem. The piece gave off a bright violet light which could be easily seen, even from a distance. Everyone stared in amazement at what they were witnessing.

"Heke." said Howdy in surprise. Howdy watched in amazement as a violet colored symbol began to engrave itself onto the piece. The symbol was two zig zag horizontal lines that were located on top of each other. The symbol glowed a violet color which stood out, even amongst the violet glow of the piece. The piece stopped glowing but the strange symbol that had appeared on it was still there, glowing softly.

The Ham-Hams all gathered around the piece and those who can see the piece were shocked at the sight of the symbol on it.

"What happened, Daddy?" asked Kaiu in wonder.

"I have no idea, son." said Neteru.

"What's that symbol on it?" asked Dexter.

"That is the zodiac sign for 'Aquarius.'" explained Daruth.

"Zodiac?" said Terra in surprise.

"Yes." answered Daruth with a proud smile on his face. "The twelve pieces of the Caidoz represent the twelve signs of the zodiac. Each piece represents a different sign and the piece that Howdy has in his possession represents Aquarius. Each of the pieces have their symbols hidden and only when their zodiac signs are revealed do their power become activated."

"But how come he could activate the piece when I couldn't?" asked Dexter angrily.

"A Caidoz piece can only be activated by someone who's zodiac sign matches the piece's." explained Daruth. "Howdy, when is your birthday?"

"My birthday?" asked Howdy. "It's February eighteenth. Why?"

"If you were born on February eighteenth, that means your zodiac sign is Aquarius." pointed out Maxwell.

"Exactly." said Daruth. "Howdy was born as an Aquarius which means he can activate the Aquarius piece."

"So that's how it works?" asked Neteru in amazement. "All you have to do is have the matching zodiac sign, say the poem over the piece, and that's it?"

"Yeah." said Daruth bluntly. "Infact, I have discovered that the name Caidoz hinted about its symbols. Here, let me demonstrate." Daruth picked up a stick from the ground and in the dirt, he wrote the word "Caidoz" in the soil. He then wrote the word "Zodiac" under it and Neteru's mouth hung open as he noticed the connection.

"Of course. 'Caidoz' is 'Zodiac' spelt backwards." said Neteru.

"Exactly." said Daruth with a proud smile. "The secret of the pieces was hidden within the name all along."

"So if that piece represents Aquarius, what does the other piece represent?" asked Hamtaro, pointing to the other piece in Terra's paws.

"It's hard to tell since the symbol is invisible before activation." said Daruth. "The only way to find out is to try different people with different zodiac signs and see which one of them can activate the piece."

"Try activating the piece, Terra." said Hamtaro.

"I can't." said Terra. "I too am an Aquarius and there can't be two pieces with the same symbol."

"She's right." said Daruth. "There is only one for each symbol."

"Here, Hamtaro." said Terra as she tossed the piece to him. Hamtaro caught it in his paws. "Activate the piece."

"Okay." said Hamtaro. Hamtaro placed is paw on the piece and said the poem. "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Nothing happened.

"I guess it isn't my zodiac sign." said Hamtaro. "Here, Mara, why don't you try it." Hamtaro handed the piece to Mara who placed her paw on the piece and said the poem. Again, nothing happened.

"I guess it isn't me." said Mara. "Here Neteru, you try it."

"I don't know." said Neteru.

"Come one, Daddy, you might be able to activate the piece." said Kaiu with an envious smile. Neteru, who just couldn't resist Kaiu's cute smile, took the piece from Mara.

"Okay, I'll give it a try." said Neteru. He placed his paw on the piece and said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Once the poem was complete, the Caidoz piece began to glow but not a violet colored light like what happened to the Aquarius piece. This time, the light was brown in color but still bright enough to be seen all around. As the piece glowed, a brown glowing symbol engraved itself onto the piece. This symbol looked like a "V" with a horizontal line on one tip and on the other tip was a curved line (kind of like an "S") with what appeared to be a lump of some kind in its center. The piece stopped glowing but its symbol still glowed its brown color right before their eyes.

"What zodiac sign is this?" asked Neteru.

"That is 'Capricorn.'" explained Daruth. "Your zodiac sign must be Capricorn."

"Are you sure?" asked Neteru.

"Well, what's your birthdate?" asked Daruth.

"It's January fourteenth." said Neteru.

"That means you're a Capricorn." said Daruth. "Now that we have two of pieces activated, I would like to show you another trick. Hand me the pieces." The pieces were given back to Daruth. Daruth then placed the two pieces together and said, "I join these pieces to each other so they can draw power from one another." Everyone watched in amazement as the two pieces glowed an orange light, as bright as the lights that were created when the pieces where activated. The glowing stopped suddenly, leaving the pieces fused together and their symbols still glowing. Daruth gave the conjoined pieces to Neteru who held the pieces in his paws in wonder. The two Caidoz pieces had connected together seamlessly. They were whole and there wasn't a single seam or crease to indicate that they were once apart yet their symbols still glowed softly.

"As you can see, the Caidoz pieces are capable of merging together but only in the correct order and only if their symbols are revealed." said Daruth.

"What happens when all twelve of the pieces are put together?" asked Neteru.

"They are supposed to form a key to open The Sidereal Palace." said Daruth.

"The Sidereal Palace?" asked Neteru.

"Yes, remember it?" said Harmony.

"Of course I do." said Neteru. "You mentioned it four years go as being the temple which holds the only physical portal into the Astral Plane."

"Yes and as you may remember, Neanna and Bocka are still trapped in the Astral Plane." said Harmony. "Clearly Glabrezu has discovered how to activate the pieces and is out to obtain them so he can free Bocka."

"We can't let that happen." said Laura. "If Bocka is freed, it could mean the end of all humanity. We have to stop Glabrezu, but how?"

"There is another option." said Harmony. "Who ever manages to connect the pieces together and accesses the portal in The Sidereal Palace, will be able to free either Neanna or Bocka from the Astral Plane. If we take the pieces for ourselves, we could free Neanna instead of having Glabrezu freeing Bocka."

"That's a great idea." said Moonbeam. "We could free our Goddess and she could once again be with us." There was some excitement going around as the Ham-Hams suddenly realized the possibilities of what Neanna could bring to the world if she were to be freed.

"So if we collect the pieces, we could free Neanna." said Hamtaro.

"We just have to connect ze pieces." said Bijou.

"Come on, Ham-Hams, lets find those pieces." said Boss. The Ham-Hams began to cheer with joy and excitement.

"But how are we going to find the pieces?" asked Neteru, silencing the Ham-Hams' cheers of joy.

"Not to worry, I have a complete list of all the locations where the pieces are kept." said Daruth. Daruth reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is a list where the remaining ten pieces are located."

"You mean you researched the locations of the pieces?" asked Neteru in surprise.

"Well, no." said Daruth bluntly.

"Then how did you get them?" asked Neteru.

"A friend of mine gave it to me." said Daruth.

"Who?" asked Neteru.

"There was this archeologist I came across last month." said Daruth. "He was a very large ham-ham with lots of red fur. He told me he was an archeologist who had been digging up artifacts for years. During one of his digs, he found an old parchment left in an ancient pyramid that was built over four millennias ago and the parchment had some unusual writing on it. He couldn't translate it so he gave the parchment to me and I worked on it. After hours of translating the parchment, I discovered that the parchment contained the secrets of how the Caidoz piece's work and I was excited by the news. I told my friend what I had found and after hearing the news, he offered to give me the list of clues to the location of the remaining pieces."

"Where did he get the list?" asked Moonbeam.

"I don't know." admitted Daruth. "After he gave me the list, he mysteriously vanished. I didn't even get a chance to find out his name."

"Do you think Glabrezu and Spat kidnapped him?" asked Terra.

"I don't know." said Daruth. "After I figured out the secrets of the Caidoz pieces, Harmony came to me and told me about her vision. We both knew that we had to find those pieces before Glabrezu but we needed help."

"So you came to us." said Neteru.

'"Exactly." said Daruth. "So what do you say?"

"Sure, I would love to." said Hamtaro at once.

"I'll go." said Maxwell.

"So would I." said Sandy.

"Well, if my sister is going than so am I." said Stan. There were cheers of agreement as the Ham-Hams once again volunteered for the dangerous mission.

So the Ham-Hams spent the day planning their mission to obtain the ten Caidoz pieces before Glabrezu. The plan was that the Ham-Hams will divide into five separate teams who will be assigned to obtain two separate Caidoz pieces. They agreed to spread out this way so they can find the pieces more faster. While they are searching for the pieces, Daruth and Harmony will venture out and try and find the Sidereal Palace using the map that was on the back of the parchment. Once their missions are complete, the Ham-Hams will all regroup at the Clubhouse so they can join the pieces together before heading out to the Sidereal Palace to free Neanna. They spent the day loading up their back packs and preparing for the difficult trip ahead of them.

The next morning, the entire Ham-Ham club (as well as the hamans) all gathered outside the entrance to the Clubhouse. It was very early in the morning so the sky was still bright orange as it rose in the distance. Some of the Ham-Hams looked tired from having to get up so early.

"Oowah." yawned Roberto. "Why did we have to get up so early."

"We need to get a head start on obtaining those Caidoz pieces." explained Boss. Everyone wore their backpacks securely onto their shoulders and gathered around in groups. Neteru, holding up a bucket filled with pieces of paper, stood outside the entrance to the Clubhouse.

"Okay everyone, settle down, please." called out Neteru. "As you know, we are all going to be divided into five teams and each team is going out to find two of the remaining Caidoz pieces. The teams will include the following Ham-Hams: Team one will include Penelope, Bijou, Pashmina, and Cappy. Team two contains Panda, June, Kylie, Maxwell, and Moonbeam. Team three contains Oxnard, Terra, Mara, Kana, and Laura. Team four includes Boss, Roberto, Travis, Sandy, and Stan. And team five will include myself, Hamtaro, Dexter, and Howdy. Now everyone gather into your chosen groups." Following Neteru's instructions, they all gathered into their chosen team. Hamtaro, Dexter, and Howdy gathered behind Neteru.

"Hey, you're crowding me." said Dexter to Howdy.

"No I'm not." interjected Howdy. As the two fought, Neteru sighed to himself as he realized he was going to have to tolerate those two the whole trip.

Suddenly, he felt someone tugging at his left arm. He looked down and to his surprise, it was Kaiu.

"Can I come along too, Daddy." pleaded Kaiu sweetly.

"Now Kaiu, this is not some leisurely excursion." said Neteru. "This is a serious mission and it might get tiresome and dangerous."

"But I want to be with you." said Kaiu. "Besides, you can't just leave me alone like this."

"We could hammy-sit him for you while myself and Daruth search for the Sidereal Temple." said Harmony. "I don't mind watching over the little darling."

"Are you sure the trip wont be dangerous for Kaiu?" asked Neteru.

"Nothing is certain, I'm afraid." said Daruth.

"But I want to be with you." pleaded Kaiu. "I want to be brought along on the adventure, too. Please, Daddy." Neteru glanced at Mara who stood beside her group. Mara, who had heard the conversation between Neteru and his son, gave him a sly smile, telling him wordlessly that nothing can stop a boy's envy towards his father. Neteru sighed, defeated.

"Okay, you can come with me but you have to behave." said Neteru.

"I promise." said Kaiu, hugging Neteru in gratitude.

Neteru turned his attention back to the Ham-Hams.

"Now that we are in groups, we must now draw a piece of paper from this bucket." said Neteru, holding up the bucket in his paws. "Each piece of paper contains the location of two Caidoz pieces. May one Ham-Ham from each team draw a piece of paper and whatever pieces is indicated on the paper, you must obtain both of them before returning to the Clubhouse. Everyone, draw your papers." The Ham-Hams gathered around the bucket and pulled out a piece of paper. There were some cries of joy as well as some scoffs of disappointment as they all got to look at what they ended up with. Neteru was the last one to pull out a paper from the bucket. He looked at the list with interest.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"I'll tell you about it along the way." said Neteru with a smile.

The Ham-Hams all began to walk their separate ways towards their missions. Daruth and Harmony left together to find the Sidereal Palace. Before Mara left with her group, she walked over to Kaiu, knelt down to his height and said, "Now you be a good boy to your father."

"Yes, Mommy." said Kaiu. Mara wrapped her arms around her son in a hug.

"That's my boy, take care of yourself, now." said Mara.

"Bye-Q, Mommy." said Kaiu sweetly.

"Bye-Q, son." said Mara. Mara got back onto her feet. After saying "Bye-Q" to her husband, she regrouped with her team as they left on their mission. Kaiu held onto Neteru's paw as they went off on their own mission. And so the adventure of the Caidoz pieces had begun....


	3. Cindys Sister

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 3: Cindy's Sister

Penelope, Bijou, Pashmina, and Cappy were walking along the sidewalks of their neighborhood. Bijou and Cappy walked side by side with Penelope and Pashmina behind them, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked.

"This is so cool," said Penelope. "This reminds me so much of our adventure to Halastia."

"Do you even remember that adventure?" asked Pashmina. "After all, you were really young."

"Well, I can only remember the important details like our kidnap," said Penelope.

"Yes, zat was just offal," said Bijou. "But we wont have to deal with zat again because zis time, we are zee heroes who will save zee day."

"Yep, this time it's just the four of us going to get a Caidoz piece from...." said Penelope but she paused as she realized something. "Hey, where is the next Caidoz piece anyway?"

"I don't know, I thought you knew," said Cappy.

"But you were the one who took the clue so you should be the one to know," said Penelope.

"But I don't know where the Caidoz piece is," insisted Cappy. "I was following Bijou."

"But I was following you," interjected Bijou.

"You mean to tell me that we've been walking aimlessly in one direction without a single clue as to where we are supposed to be?" said Penelope. Everyone abruptly stopped as they realized that Penelope was right.

"Atata," chorused the four Ham-Hams.

"Hamgoof, I'm sorry," said Cappy. "Here, I'll get it out now." Cappy reached into his back pack and pulled out the slip of torn paper that he had taken from Neteru's bucket. He unfolded the paper and looked at it. "Well, we're in luck, it seems that the next Caidoz piece is right here in our home town."

"Where is it?" asked Pashmina.

"It says, 'the piece is located in the possession of a human who lives at 1788 Oxnend Avenue,'" said Cappy.

"Is that all the hint says?" asked Penelope.

"Just that it is in this city," said Cappy.

"But Oxnend Avenue is clear across town, how are we supposed to get zere on foot?" asked Bijou.

"I don't know," said Cappy.

"Heke?" said Penelope as she noticed something ahead. "Look everyone, it's a bus stop. We can ride a bus." Noticing the blue bench to a bus stop nearby, the Ham-Hams ran to the bench, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. They came across a map near the bench where it showed the bus routes who come by the bench.

"You see," said Penelope. "This bus goes right past Oxnend Avenue. All we have to do is sneak onto the bus and we're there."

"Penelope, you're a genius," said Pashmina hugging Penelope.

So the four of them waited for the bus. Once it arrived, they hastily got onto the bus before the door closed and they hitched a ride to Oxnend Avenue as they planned. After getting off the bus, they walked to the house listed on the clue, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked. Cappy held the piece of paper that had the clue written on it as he checked the addresses of the houses they past.

"Here it is," said Cappy. They stopped in front of a concrete pavement which led to a simple green single-story house.

"Is this the place?" asked Pashmina.

"Yep, this is the house on the address," said Cappy as he put the piece of paper back into his back pack.

"How are we going to get inside?" asked Pashmina.

"Perhaps zere eez an open window somewhere around zee back side of zee house," suggested Bijou.

"Well, it's worth a shot," said Penelope. The four hamsters ran towards the side of the house, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they ran.

Located on the side of the house was a window that was open a little bit. It would be a tight squeeze but it would be enough to enable the Ham-Hams access inside.

"Look, a window," pointed out Penelope.

"But how are we going to get inside?" asked Bijou.

"Don't worry, I brought along a grappling hook," said Cappy. Cappy opened his back pack and sure enough, there was a grappling hook with a long rope attached. Cappy tossed the hook into the air, successfully catching the hook onto the window. The Ham-Hams carefully climbed up the rope, inching their way to the window. They climbed to the window and squeezed their way through it. The window was not open very large so it was a tighter squeeze for them than anticipated. After Pashmina worked her way out of the window, she said to her companions, "I feel like I squeezed out of a bottle of soda."

"Hey look, there's someone in here," said Cappy pointed forwards. Once the Ham-Hams got a chance to look around the room, they realized that they had entered what appeared to be a little girl's room since there was a small bed with pink sheets, lots of plush toys and dolls all over the place (including the floor), and girl oriented books on the shelves. And to confirm that the room was inhabited by a girl, sitting there next to the bed was a small girl playing with her dolls and doll house. The little girl was only five or six years old. She had long red hair and a cute pink dress with matching sandals.

"Who do you think that girl is?" asked Penelope.

"Her name is Suzzie," said Cappy.

"How do you know?" asked Pashmina.

"It says right there on that teddy bear," said Cappy who pointed towards a desk next to the window. On the desk was a stuffed bear with a tag on it that read "To Suzzie" written in red ink. The girls blushed sheepishly over their lack of observation.

The four Ham-Hams leaped onto the desk and climbed down the desk's legs to the floor. They repeated "Wasa-Wasa" as they quietly sneaked towards the girl who sat on the floor, oblivious to the approaching Ham-Hams. They hid under the girl's bed under the far end. They watched closely as the girl was playing around with her dolls. Suzzie picked up a plastic doll of a man and a plastic doll of a women and began to imitate their voices as Suzzie acted out a scene.

"Hey Jake, did you get me an anniversary present this year?" said Suzzie as she imitated the woman doll's voice.

"Why yes I did," said Suzzie, imitating the man's voice. "Infact, I have it right here." Suzzie reached into a nearby wooden toy chest and pulled out a shinny gold object and placed it into the hands of the plastic male doll. "I found it at a jewelry store. Do you love it?"

"Oh Jake, it's beautiful," said Suzzie, imitating the female doll's voice. "I'll love you forever." Penelope leaned forwards and gasped when she realized that the gold object that was placed into the doll's hands was none other than a Caidoz piece.

"You guys, it's a Caidoz piece right there in that doll's hands," said Penelope.

"Heke?" said Pashmina in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"She's not kidding," said Cappy. "I can see it too, even from here."

"But how are we going to get eet from her?" asked Bijou.

"I don't know," said Penelope. "We'll think of something."

The four Ham-Hams stayed under the bed, waiting for a chance to get the Caidoz piece. Their chance finally came when Suzzie said to her dolls, "I'm going down stairs for a glass of lemonade. Don't go anywhere." Suzzie placed the Caidoz piece and her dolls into the toy chest and walked out of the room.

"Now's our chance," said Penelope. They ran towards the toy chest, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. They reached the toy chest but they quickly realized it was too high for them to reach.

"Cappy, can you use your grappling hook to get us up there?" asked Pashmina.

"I'm afraid not," said Cappy. "I left the hook back at the window so we can climb down it latter."

"We could try standing on top of each other," suggested Bijou.

"That's a great idea," said Penelope. "Everyone, get on top of each other and form a Ham-Ham chain." They tossed their back packs aside and one by one, they all climbed onto each other's heads, forming a line of Ham-Hams to the top of the toy chest. Pashmina was on the bottom, followed by Penelope, Bijou, and ending with Cappy who looked over the edge of the open chest to see the Caidoz piece lying on top of a pile of toys.

"Do you see the Caidoz piece, Cappy?" asked Pashmina.

"Yeah, I see it," said Cappy. "It's right on top of these toys here."

"Well hurry up and get eet," said Bijou. "Zis eez hurting my back." Cappy reached his paw towards the piece but he couldn't reach it.

"It's too far," said Cappy.

"Don't give up, Cappy," said Penelope. Cappy reached towards the piece but he just couldn't get at it. Cappy was starting to inch his way closer to the piece when Suzzie suddenly came into the room.

"What are you four doing here?" asked Suzzie in surprise. For a moment, the Ham-Hams and Suzzie just stood there in shock at the sight of seeing each other. Cappy was the first to recover from the shock.

"Shashaa," shouted Cappy and the Ham-Hams immediately fell over and ran off in different directions, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. Suzzie placed her cup onto her dresser drawers and then knelt down and picked up Pashmina and Cappy in both hands as they were attempting to escape. Like a frightened women in King Kong's hands, Pashmina and Cappy struggled in Suzzie's grasp.

"Aw, what cute little hamsters," said Suzzie. She carried them to an empty cage nearby and dropped them into the cage. The door to the cage was located on the top of the cage instead of to the side so Cappy and Pashmina could not reach it. They were trapped.

Bijou had hidden inside a cabinet in the doll house's kitchen as Suzzie locked Cappy and Pashmina in a cage.

"Zis eez most unpleasant," said Bijou miserably. The cabinet was far too cramp and after knocking over a plastic pan inside, it struck her in the face and she spilled out of the cabinet in surprise. This exposed her and Suzzie grabbed Bijou the minute she saw her fall out.

"Non, put me down," cried Bijou in a panic, saying the word "no" in french. After Bijou was placed into the cage kicking and scream, Suzzie began to search for Penelope. Penelope hid behind the leg of the bed, breathing heavily after all that running. She didn't know what had happened to her friends but she knew she had to save them because she could hear her friends calling for help. For a while, there was nothing but silence as Penelope waited and listened but, other than her friends' distant cries for help, she couldn't hair any sigh that Suzzie was nearby Deciding she couldn't wait any longer, Penelope took in a deep breath, she ran out of hiding to find her friends but when she did, she immediately found herself running right into Suzzie's waiting hands.

Penelope kicked and struggled as Suzzie placed her into the cage and closed the door. After landing hard onto the floor of the cage, she said, "Ouchichi," with a groan.

"Penelope, are you all right?" asked Bijou.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Penelope. Suzzie picked up the cage with both hands and shouted out, "Cindy, come down here. I've got something to show you." The Ham-Ham's heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the room and in walked a twelve year old girl. The girl wore a red skirt with a green long sleeve shirt. She had long blond hair, thick brown glasses, and freckles all over her face.

"Suzzie, what's going on here?" asked Cindy. Suzzie held the cage up to her big sister in excitement.

"Cindy, look at what I got," said Suzzie. Cindy leaned over the cage and looked inside.

"Where'd you find those hamsters?" asked Cindy.

"They were here in my room," said Suzzie. "Aren't they cute?"

"I don't think Mom and Dad will let you keep them." said Cindy.

"Why not?" whined Cindy's little sister.

"Because you don't know where they came from," said Cindy.

"Oh come on," pleaded Suzzie. "Can't I keep them for the day? Please." Cindy sighed in defeat.

"Okay okay, we can keep them till Mom and Dad get here but we will let them decide if they can stay permanently," said Cindy.

"Oh thank you, sis," said Suzzie. Cindy leaned over to look at the hamsters once more and smiled.

"They remind me of hamsters I once had," said Cindy, thinking out loud to herself. She left the room without another word.

The four of them spent over an hour inside the cage along side Suzzie. With all four of them inside the cage, they could easily climb up on top of each other and then escape but they couldn't, not with Suzzie watching them like a hawk as she played with her dolls blissfully. The four Ham-Hams stared helplessly through the cage.

"This is hopeless," said Pashmina.

"I will never see Maria again," said Bijou sadly.

"Nor will I see my collection of hats," said Cappy.

"Now calm down you guys," said Penelope. "If we put our heads together, we will think of something."

"Penelope's right," said Pashmina. "We just have to stay calm and we can think of a way out of this mess."

As the Ham-Hams talked, Suzzie was playing with her dolls but she beginning to grow bored with them.

"I wish I had new dolls to play with," said Suzzie. "I'm tired of these old toys." Suzzie glanced at the Ham-Hams and suddenly, an idea occurred to her. "Wait a minute, I can use you four." Suzzie opened up the Ham-Hams' cage and reached inside to grab Penelope. Penelope didn't resist as she was lifted out of the cage and placed in front of the doll house. Suzzie reached over and picked up a red doll's dress and gently slipped the dress onto Penelope.

"You can play the mommy," said Suzzie to Penelope. Suzzie then reached into the cage and picked up Pashmina from the cage. She placed Pashmina next to Penelope and then Suzzie slipped a blue shirt and tie onto her.

"And you get to be the daddy," said Suzzie.

"What? Why do I have to be the dad?" demanded Pashmina angrily. Suzzie then reached into the cage and pulled out Bijou. Suzzie placed Bijou next to Pashmina before putting a doll's pink skirt and tank top onto Bijou.

"You get to be the older sister," said Suzzie.

"At least you get a female role," said Pashmina irritably. Suzzie reached into the cage and then pulled out Cappy.

"You get to be the baby," said Suzzie.

"What?" said Cappy in horror. "I don't want to be the baby." But Suzzie couldn't hear him as she pulled off Cappy's hat and then tied a little baby bonnet onto his head and placed him inside a little doll baby carriage.

"Aw, you look so cute, Cappy," said Penelope as she and the girls giggled at Cappy.

"This is humiliating," said Cappy as he crossed his arms in anger.

Suzzie played with the Ham-Hams as if they were dolls. She placed them inside the Clubhouse where she made them reenact a family sitting at a dinner table inside the doll house's kitchen. The four Ham-Hams sat around the plastic dinner table, pretending to be eating food off of empty plastic plates while Cappy sat in the baby carriage irritably. The others didn't seem too happy about their current position either. Noticing Cappy's irritable expression, Suzzie said, "Aw, the baby looks bored. Don't worry. I have a rattle here somewhere." Suzzie reached into the toy chest and began to grope through all the toys inside, pulling out its contents one toy at a time. It was then that she pulled out the Caidoz piece from the chest. Cappy saw the piece and then he had an idea. He knew that what he was about to do would make him feel even more humiliated but he knew he had to do it. He stretched out both paws and began to whimper like a puppy.

"Cappy, what are you doing?" asked Bijou.

"Just watch," said Cappy before continuing with his whimpering. When Suzzie noticed Cappy reaching for the Caidoz piece in her hand, she said, "Oh, does baby want this shinny gold piece." Suzzie handed the Caidoz piece to Cappy who took it in both paws.

"Good work, Cappy," said Pashmina.

"Oui, zat was just ingénieux," said Bijou.

"Uh, thanks," said Cappy who didn't quite understand french.

"So now that we have the piece, we just need to figure out how to escape Suzzie," said Pashmina. "But the question is, how?"

Penelope searched the room with her eyes, looking for something they can use to their advantage. It was then that she noticed a pile of teddy bears and other plush toys piled up into a neat little pyramid on top of a dresser. The pyramid of plush toys covered almost the entire shelf except for one small space where Suzzie had placed her glass of lemonade and another small space which was taken up by a lamp. Penelope eyed the lamp's cord starting from the base of the lamp and down to the wicker chair located right beside the dresser. As she studied all this, a plan formulated in her mind.

"You guys, I have an idea," said Penelope. "I'm going to create a distraction, allowing time for you guys to run to the window and make your escape."

"But how are you going to distract her?" asked Bijou.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," said Penelope. "Just get ready to run." Without another word, she ran off, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran. Suzzie saw Penelope running off and Suzzie quickly reached over and picked up Penelope in her hand.

"No no no, you shouldn't run off like that," scolded Suzzie as if she was dealing with a small child. Taking advantage of the moment, Penelope bit down hard on Suzzie's hand. Suzzie shouted in pain and surprise as she dropped Penelope. Penelope landed onto the wooden floor and ran off, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran.

"Go you guys, now's your chance," said Penelope as she ran. As Suzzie searched for Penelope, the other Ham-Hams ran for it. Cappy took off the baby bonnet from his head and put on his green cap. As they ran, they picked up their back packs which they had left behind near the toy chest and after stuffing the Caidoz piece into Cappy's back pack, they ran towards the window.

Penelope took off her dress as she ran towards the wicker chair. She climbed up the chair at a speed that was so fast, it surprised even Penelope. She climbed to the top of the chair and then began to climb up the lamp's cord with astonishing speed. Before she reached the lamp, however, Suzzie reached out and grabbed Penelope once again.

"Bad hamster, bad," scolded Suzzie as if she was dealing with a dog. However, her grip on Penelope was not strong enough and Penelope managed to squeeze her way out of Suzzie's grasp and began to climb up the pyramid of plush toys. Suzzie reached over in an attempt to grab at Penelope but when she did, she instead grabbed onto a plush toy and pulled it out, causing the pile of plush toys to fall over. Suzzie screamed as the toys came tumbling down towards her, knocking over her lamp and her glass of lemonade which both of them smashed into pieces when they hit the floor. Penelope leaped off of the falling pile of toys, shouting "Oopaa" as she fell off the dresser. She landed softly onto the wicker chair, leaped off it again and ran towards the desk next to the window.

"Badda-Badda." repeated Penelope as she ran towards the window. Her friends were already behind the window, shouting words of encouragement as Penelope's little legs carried her towards the window. She scurried up the desk and leaped towards the window.

"No!" cried Suzzie as she tried to grab Penelope but Penelope slipped from her grasped, squeezed her way through the open window. The Ham-Hams quickly slid down the rope attached to the window and ran off.

The four hamsters stood at the front yard of the house where they panted heavily. Both Bijou and Pashmina had taken off the cloths that Suzzie had put on them and left the cloths onto the front lawn.

"Zat was close," said Bijou.

"I agree," said Cappy.

"But thanks for saving us, Penelope," said Pashmina.

"Oh, it was nothing," said Penelope modestly. Cappy reached into his back pack and pulled out the Caidoz piece.

"Here, Penelope, you can be the first to activate the piece," offered Cappy.

"Why thank you, Cappy," said Penelope. Penelope took the piece from Cappy and placed her paw on top of it. "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Once the poem was said, the piece began to glow a sea-green color which lit up brightly just as the other pieces had done before and right before their eyes, a sea-green zodiac sign engraved itself onto the piece. The piece stopped glowing, revealing the glowing symbol that remained on the piece. The symbol looked like two halves of a circle that were placed beside each other with a single line going through the center of them. This symbol was none other than Penelope's zodiac sign, Pisces.

"Hamtastic, you did it, Penelope," said Pashmina.

"Thanks," said Penelope. "Let go, the next piece wont find itself."

"I'm ready," said Cappy.

"Me too," said Bijou. The Ham-Hams smiled as they all walked towards their next mission, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as they walked.

Meanwhile, Suzzie sat on the floor of her room, sobbing loudly. Cindy came into the room and was surprised to see the pile of plush toys all over the floor, the puddle of spilt lemonade, and the broken lamp. She walked over to Suzzie and knelt down to her eye level.

"Suzzie, what happened?" asked Cindy.

"My hamsters ran away and they made a mess of my room," said Suzzie through her sobs. "I don't understand. All I wanted was a pet." Cindy frowned, sympathizing with her sister.

"Don't worry, sis," said Cindy in comfort. "Perhaps it's about time we ask Mom and Dad if they can buy us a hamster."

"Do you think they would?" asked Suzzie hopefully.

"Of course they would," said Cindy. "Now, help me clean up this mess before Mom and Dad get home and I promise I will talk to them." Suzzie smiled, feeling better about losing the Ham-Hams already.

_Author's Note: For those of you who didn't notice, Suzzie's older sister is none other than Cindy, the eight year old girl who had attempted to kidnap Laura and the others when they first turned into hamsters in "Walk A Mile In Your Shoes."_


	4. The Courtship of Cade and Ilde

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 4: The Courtship of Cade and Ilde

After obtaining their first Caidoz piece, the four adventurers trekked out of their home town and into the forests. Such a long hike through the woods was not very pleasant for the Ham-Hams, especially since they were not used to this much exorcise. After four days of nonstop hiking, they were beginning to loose their nerve.

"Uh, if I have to walk another mile, I swear I'm going to die right here," said Pashmina who was sweating profusely.

"I agree, zee sun and zee humidity are not very pleasant, no?" said Bijou.

"I wish I had brought a sun hat," said Cappy, of course.

"Cappy, are you sure that clue told you that the next piece is here?" asked Penelope.

"That's what it said," insisted Cappy. "Here, I'll pull it out and show who you." Cappy opened up his back pack and pulled out a slip of paper with the clue written on it. Cappy read the clue out loud to the girls as he and the girls kept walking. "'One piece is hidden within a primitive tribe located in the middle of the Mori forest.' Now, I know for a fact that the Mori forest is right next to Rokugon and with my map, I've found out where the forest is."

"Does zee clue offer anymore information?" asked Bijou.

"It does mention that there is only one tribe in the entire forest," said Cappy. "Other than that, I'm not sure..." Cappy's words were cut short when all of a sudden, as he walked past some thick bushes, he found himself falling off the edge of a cliff he did not notice since he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Cappy cried out as he struck the side of the muddy hill and he found himself sliding down it.

"Oh non, Cappy," cried Bijou as she and the girls gathered around the edge of the cliff to see the fate of their hat wearing comrade. Fortunately for Cappy, the cliff was not a strait drop but it was slanted enough to allow Cappy to slide down the muddy slope of the cliff where he landed hard onto the mud located at the foot of the cliff.

"Oh non, zis eez bad," cried Bijou. "How will we save him?"

"I have an idea," said Penelope. She picked up a nearby leaf from the ground and said, "We'll toboggan down the cliff."

"Magnifique, zat's brilliant," said Bijou in praise.

"Everyone grab a leaf and lets dive," said Penelope enthusiastically. The three girls picked up a leaf and (using the leaf like a sled) they slid down the muddy cliff and landed softly onto the mud next to Cappy.

"Are you okay, Cappy?" asked Pashmina as the other girls landed onto the foot of the cliff. While the girls had remained clean, Cappy was covered from head to toe in mud.

"Aw man, I was trying so hard to keep myself clean," said Cappy. Cappy crawled out of the mud, dripping everywhere.

"Here, Cappy, you can dry yourself on zis," offered Bijou as she gave him her leaf. Cappy began to rub the mud off of him with the leaf and as he did, the Ham-Hams began to hear the loud voices of a crowd of ham-hams nearby.

"You hear that?" asked Penelope. "There are others here. We must have found the tribe."

"Magnifique, lets visit them," said Bijou.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," said Pashmina.

"Why do you say that?" asked Cappy.

"Well, doesn't that look familiar?" said Pashmina, pointing at the large wooden structure in front of them. The Ham-Hams had noticed the structure before (out of the corner of their eyes) but they didn't pay much attention to it until now and once the girls got a good look at it, they began to panic in fright.

Four years ago, Spat had kidnapped the girls and then gave them to a barbaric tribe who took them to a stadium and was about to sacrifice them by feeding them to a hungry cat. The large wooden stadium where they were about to become cat food stood right there in front of them which means that the tribe they were looking for was the same tribe who tried to kill the girls.

"Zis cannot be," cried Bijou.

"No way, I don't want to go through that again," cried Penelope. The girls were shaking with fright, too afraid to walk any closer to that stadium.

"I known we're afraid but the whole world depends on us getting those Caidoz pieces," pointed out Pashmina.

"She's right, we have to be strong," said Cappy. Despite the bravery they had felt before, they now were filled with fright at the possibility of being fed to a cat again. Bijou shook in fright as she remembered the sensation of that cat licking her chest to taste her. Bijou knew that if Boss hadn't had saved her at that moment, she would have been the first to become cat food.

"Okay, so we proceed to infiltrate them but the question is, how do we do it?" asked Cappy.

"I know," said Pashmina excitedly. She ran over to a nearby bush located next to the stadium, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as she ran. She picked some small leaves from the bush and walked back with the leaves in her paws.

"What are you doing?" asked Bijou.

"I remembered that these people like to wear masks so if we put these on our faces, we can sneak in undetected," said Pashmina.

"I don't know about this," said Cappy who was convinced.

"Oh come on, Cappy," said Penelope. "Lets just give it a try." The Ham-Hams poked holes in their leaves so they can see and breath through them and then they tried to tie the leaves to their faces like a bandana wrapped around their face. Once their leaves were put on, they looked at each other to see how they looked.

"We look ridiculous," said Pashmina.

"Well, it was your idea," pointed out Cappy. "Now that we are in our disguises, lets infiltrate the enemy." Cappy began walking towards the sound of crowd with the girls following reluctantly behind.

They managed to find a crowd of ham-hams located just out of view from the stadium, many of them dressed in loin cloths and hideous masks. The ham-hams were standing around a stage where a large pile of haphazardly placed items sat. Bijou led the way as she and her friends pushed their way through the crowd who were talking anxiously amongst themselves as if they were excited about something. As Bijou got closer to the stage, she saw something gold in the pile. She squinted her eyes so she could see the gold object in the distance and to her surprise, it was a Caidoz piece.

"Heke, zere's a Caidoz piece up zere," said Bijou.

"Are you sure?" asked Cappy.

"Positive," said Bijou. "Zee only question now eez, how to get eet?"

Suddenly, there was a loud cheer from the crowd as two ham-hams stepped onto the stage. One of the two (which the Ham-Girls had immediately recognized) was the tribe's chief. The chief had light brown fur all over his body and he wore ferret skin as a vest and a loin cloth. He also wore a large feathered crown on his head and a mask that looked like a skull face. The ham-ham standing next to him was covered in light orange fur (with a white front) and he has a simple brown vest for clothing. This ham-ham looked nervous, as if he was experiencing stage fright from being the center of attention on that stage. The chief raised his paws to show that he wants the crowd to be quiet.

"Hello, my fellow tribe-hams," said the chief. "I, Chief Wong, is pleased to announce that my son, Cade, has finally grown old enough to marry." There was some applause from the crowd. The ham-ham standing on stage next to Chief Wong (obviously the chief's son, Cade) didn't look very comfortable about the applause.

"I would like to thank all of you who had given my son wedding gifts," said Chief Wong as he pointed towards the pile of gifts. "You all have delivered excellent gifts for my son. The bride has not yet been selected yet but in the next few days, I will select the perfect bride for Cade. Who among you are willing to be my son's wife?" Every female in the crowd were raising their paws anxiously, hoping to be picked to be Cade's wife. The chief observed all the willing participants in the crowd when suddenly, he noticed the Ham-Hams amongst the crowd. Immediately, he realized those four didn't look familiar, especially with those leaves on their faces.

"You four," said Chief Wong as he pointed at the Ham-Hams. "Come onto the stage."

"Who? Us?" said Penelope nervously.

"Yes you, I order you four onto the stage," said Chief Wong more sternly. Nervous as to what might happen, the Ham-Hams worked their way through the crowd and onto the stage.

The Ham-Hams nervously stepped up onto the stage and faced Chief Wong. Bijou stood the closest to him so the chief said ot her, "Who are you?"

"I'm..." Bijou hesitated, not sure as to what to say.

"And why have I never seen you before?" asked Chief Wong before Bijou could answer.

"Well, zis eez zee first time I've worn a leave," said Bijou. She gasped in horror as she just realized she had forgotten to hide her accent. When Chief Wong heard that authentic french accent, he knew that she couldn't have been from their tribe. Chief Wong immediately ripped the mask off of Bijou, exposing her terrified face.

"Guards, seize them," ordered Chief Wong. Immediately, at least a dozen guards climbed onto the stage with long wooden spears pointing at the Ham-Hams. The Ham-Hams' masks were removed and they were in being held captive.

"Take them to the chopping block, I want them decapitated," ordered Chief Wong. Pashmina gasped in horror. They were going to be executed.

The guards began to tie the Ham-Hams' paws behind their backs. Bijou began to panic as one guard attempted to tie her paws.

"Non, please," begged Bijou. "We'll do anything." But the guards were unfazed by Bijou's pleas. "I'll...I'll...I'll marry your son eef you let us go." Everyone stopped in place in shock. Even Bijou's companions froze in place with their mouths wide open. Chief Wong stared at Bijou through his mask and said, "You'll marry my son?"

"Oui," said Bijou. "Eef you let my friends go safely, I'll marry your son. Please, I can be a good wife to your son." Curious, Chief Wong began examine Bijou. He placed his paws behind his back and began to slowly circle around Bijou, examine her like a hawk. Bijou began to feel uncomfortable about how he was staring at her like that.

After circling her twice, Chief Wong stopped pacing, standing right in front of Bijou.

"You're certainly a very beautiful ham-ham," said Chief Wong. "And a very attractive one as well. You also have a good strong body. Perfect for baring offspring." Bijou cringed at the thought. "Very well, you shall be my son's husband and in exchange, I will let your friends go free. However, in order to make sure that you will keep to your word, your friends shall be locked in a cell until the wedding is over. While the wedding is being set up, you shall be accompanied to my son's bedroom so you can get to know him better." Pashmina leaned over to Bijou's ear and asked, "Okay, you do have a plan, right?"

"I'm working on eet," answered Bijou. Bijou watched as her friends were led away from her by the guards. Chief Wong turned to Cade and said, "Cade, take her to your room."

"Yes, father," said Cade. Cade took Bijou by the paw and led her off the stage with Bijou following reluctantly along side him.

Bijou was led through the village, passing many small huts along the way.

"So where do you live?" asked Bijou curiously. "Are we staying in a little hut like these."

"Oh no," said Cade. "I live in a much more larger home." Cade led Bijou to a bush. She gasped in surprise when she noticed that the bush had a large house built right into it like a tree house.

"Zis eez where you live?" asked Bijou.

"Sure is," said Cade. "Come, I'll show you inside." Cade's bedroom was inside the tree house (or bush house) and using a simple rope ladder, Bijou climbed up inside it. There was a hole in the floor of the house allowing access or exit to the crude structure. Upon entering the little house, Bijou was amazed at the interior which was made entirely out of plain wood. Inside, there was a large mat on the floor (obviously used as a bed), a box filled with some personal items in it, and a closet.

Cade climbed up out of the hole in the floor and said, "Well, this is where I live. I know it doesn't look like much but together, I'm sure we can improve upon it."

"I'm sure we can," said Bijou. "By zee way, my name eez 'Bijou.'"

"That's a beautiful name," said Cade, although he didn't sound too happy about it. Cade sat down on his bed and sighed sadly, revealing to Bijou that he was as reluctant to go through with this arranged marriage as much as Bijou was. Bijou sat down on the mat next to him.

"You know, to be honest, I don't want to marry you," admitted Cade. "Don't get me wrong. I think you're cute and very pretty but I have my heart set on someone else."

"You do?" asked Bijou. "Who eez she?" Cade nervously began to rub his head, saying "Schmubby-Wubby" as he did. Clearly a little embarrassed about the subject.

"I can show you," said Cade. Cade stood up off of his mat and led Bijou to the window. From within the house, Bijou had a decent view of the area, enabling her to see much of the village and the ham-hams below.

"That's her, the one in the brown muumuu," said Cade as he pointed to the right. Almost strait down, Bijou saw a group of girls standing around and talking to each other, possibly about girl gossip. Amongst the girls there, Bijou saw a ham-ham who wore a light colored brown muumuu. The ham-ham had orange-red fur with white on her front and face. Cade stared down upon her with a wide smile on his face.

"What's her name?" asked Bijou.

"Her name is Ilde," answered Cade. "I've had a crush on her ever since I was a kid. I've always wanted to tell her how much I love her but I've never had the chance to do so. Not to mention my father might not approve of me marrying her. I just wish I could marry her." Cade sighed sadly, admiring the love of his life from his bedroom window.

Bijou couldn't help but feel sorry for Cade. All he wanted was to marry Ilde and he just couldn't work the nerve to ask her. Bijou had to find some way to help him but she also still had to rescue her friends and obtain the Caidoz piece. The only way Cade and Ilde are ever going to be together is that Cade must tell her how much he loves her and he has to some how convince his father. As Bijou gazed out upon the view from the window, she noticed a nearby ledge, no more than 1.5 feet off the ground and over looking the land below. The ledge stretched for about ten feet and was covered in a few plants and trees.

"Cade, eez zere anyway of getting onto zee ledge over zere?" asked Bijou.

"Why yes," said Cade, unsure as to why she asked. "There's a trail that leads over the cliff, enabling a safe passage."

"And Cade, eez zere any kind of an important tool or item used in zee marriage ceremonies of your people?" asked Bijou.

"There is the bonding rope," said Cade. "During the marriage ceremony, both the bride and groom use a ceremonial rope to tie their paws together as a symbol for their eternal binding vows to each other. Why do you want to know all this?"

"Cade, I have an idea zat will get you and Ilde together," said Bijou.

"Really?" said Cade in surprise. "How?"

"First, you must do something for me, then I'll help you," said Bijou.

Everyone in the village was busy preparing for the wedding. Since everyone was so distracted with their preparations for the wedding, no one noticed Bijou heading in the direction of the cell (where her friends were kept) with two large sacks in her paws. As Bijou walked towards the cell (repeating "Ticky-Ticky as she walked), she recognized it as the same cell she and the other girls were kept in the last time they were here four years ago. The cell was a small square building made out of stone and concrete. The windows were thin and small and the only way in or out of the cell was a large steel door where two guards stood guard. The guards each held a spear in one paw and they wore a loin cloth with a strange mask on their faces. The masks resembled some kind of an oriental dragon face and the masks were green in color. As Bijou approached the cell, the two guards raised their spears and pointed them at Bijou in a threatening fashion.

"Halt, what are you doing here?" demanded one of the guards.

"I want to give my friends some sun flower seeds," said Bijou, holding up the bags to indicate where the seeds were. "I want zem to be well fed while zey are in zere." The two guards paused as they considered her statement.

"Okay, but don't take too long," said the other guard as the two guards stepped aside.

"Merci," said Bijou. The guards unlocked the cell and aloud Bijou inside. Once Bijou went inside, they closed the door. After that, there was silence for a moment until they heard Bijou shouting, "Help, zey are attack me." Concerned, the two guards ran into the cell, unknowing that Pashmina and Penelope were standing on both sides of the door holding Bijou's sacks. When the guards came in, Pashmina and Penelope struck the guards on the head with the sacks, knocking them out cold.

"That was a clever idea, Bijou," said Cappy.

"Yeah, and what's in these bags anyway?" asked Pashmina.

"Just some rocks I've collected," said Bijou.

"Good idea, Bijou," said Penelope. "Now lets get out of here."

"Not yet," said Bijou. "First, we got to help Cade." Bijou explained to her friends Cade's situation and her plan to help him.

"Oh, poor Cade," said Pashmina after hearing Bijou's story. "Of course we'll help."

"Good, I want you two to impersonate zee guards until eet eez time to put my plan into action," said Bijou. "I'll be back while you guys stay here, got eet?"

"Got it," chorused Bijou's friends. Bijou ran out of the cell without another word, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran. The two guards were bound and gagged with rope and left in the cell with Cappy watching them. Penelope and Pashmina took the guards' masks and loin cloths and then they stood outside the cell, impersonating the guards so no one would realize something was wrong.

Cade waited for Bijou behind the bush where his house was located. He heard Bijou running around the bush and stopping right in front of Cade.

"What took you so long?" asked Cade.

"Sorry, I had to free my friends," answered Bijou. "Did you get what I asked for?"

"Yes, I did," said Cade. From a small brown bag, Cade pulled out the Caidoz piece which he had earlier found in the pile of wedding gifts. Bijou took the piece and put it into her back pack.

"Are you sure about this, Bijou?" asked Cade. "My father is going to be done setting up the wedding in about two hours."

"Don't worry," said Bijou with a smile. "We got everything under control."

Cade became very nervous as the time of the marriage ceremony had arrived. He hoped that Bijou would start the plan before hand but as they were led to the stage where the ceremony was taking place, he was close to shear panic. Everyone in the tribe gathered around as Bijou and Cade stood in front of Chief Wong who was going to be their minister. Nervously, Cade leaned over to Bijou and asked, "I thought you were going to get me out of this wedding."

"Be patient," was Bijou's only response. Chief Wong lifted his paws in the air and shouted to the crowd, "Welcome friends. Today, we bind Cade and Bijou in the bonds of marriage. To symbolize their marriage to each other, I present the ceremonial rope which shell bind their paws together as a symbol of their devotion to each other." Chief Wong pulled out a long wooden box and opened it but to his and everyone else's (except Bijou's) surprise, the ceremonial rope that was supposed to be in the box was gone.

"Heke?" said Chief Wong in surprise. "Where's the rope."

"Hey, over here," cried a voice from behind. The Chief spun around and realized the voice came from Pashmina who held the rope and waved it tauntingly. "Looking for this?" Penelope and Cappy stood nearby, also taunting the chief.

"How'd they get out?" demanded Chief Wong. "Guards, seize them." The Ham-Hams immediately ran for it. Six guards picked up their spears and chased after the three fugitive Ham-Hams as Chief Wong picked up his own spear and followed. Once they were gone, Bijou grabbed Cade's paw and said, "Follow me." Cade more than willingly followed, the two of them repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

Bijou led Cade through the village until they stopped right in front of the ledge Bijou saw earlier through the window in Cade's house. To Cade's surprise, Ilde was standing right there next to the bottom of the ledge just outside Cade's home. Cade and Bijou stopped right beside the bush just out of view and the two stared at Ilde from behind the bush.

"Ilde?" said Cade in surprise. "What's she doing here?"

"I told her I was going to delay zee wedding so you can talk to her," explained Bijou.

"You mean I have to tell her I love her right now?" said Cade in shock.

"Oui," said Bijou. "Now's your chance and eef you don't tell her, you may never get another chance and you would have lost her forever." Knowing that she was right, Cade swallowed nervously as he walked towards Ilde, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as he walked. Ilde smiled at Cade as he came towards her.

"Hamha, Cade," greeted Ilde kindly.

"Hamha," replied Cade nervously.

"Cade, why do you sound so nervous?" asked Ilde.

"Well, it's because I have something to tell you," said Cade.

Meanwhile, Chief Wong was running along the overhead ledge, repeating "Badda-Badda" as he ran. He saw the Ham-Hams run up here and he was running aimlessly through all the plants that grew along the top of the ledge. Along the way, he saw the ceremonial rope that was left behind by the Ham-Hams and the rope laid there on the edge of the ledge. Chief Wong ran over to the rope and picked it up and as he did, he saw Cade and Ilde standing below talking. Spying from behind the bush, Bijou watched Chief Wong's approach with a smile as her plan began to proceed normally. Bijou turned her gaze quickly back to Cade, hoping he will have the nerve to tell Ilde.

Cade swallowed hard as he gathered as much courage as he could muster.

"The fact is, I don't want to marry Bijou, I want to marry you," said Cade to Ilde.

"You do?" asked Ilde in surprise.

"Yes," said Cade as he began to blush. "I've loved you ever since I first saw you but I've never had the courage to tell you. You're my one true love. It is you I want to marry and no one else."

"Oh Cade, that's so sweet," said Ilde. "I had no idea you felt that way."

"So will you?" asked Cade eagerly. When Ilde didn't answer right away, Cade began to suspect he had said or done something wrong. In order to spare himself from more embarrassment, he added, "Unless of course you don't want to. I know this may seem rather sudden and I can understand if you don't want to."

"Oh Cade, I would love to be your bride," said Ilde. Cade looked like you could knock him over with a feather.

"You mean it?" asked Cade.

"I wouldn't lie to you," said Ilde. "All my life, I've waited for someone to come up to me and say 'I love you' and now that has finally happened. If you love me that much, then perhaps we were meant to be together."

"So you'll marry me?" said Cade with joy.

"Yes, I will," said Ilde as she wrapped her arms around Cade in a hug. Cade returned the hug and the two affectionately nuzzled each other, repeating "Schmubby-Wubby" as they did.

"I had no idea you felt that way," said Chief Wong from on top of the ledge. Ilde and Cade immediately separated in shock.

"Dad, how long have you been standing up there?" asked Cade in embarrassment.

"Long enough to listen in on your conversation," said Chief Wong. Chief Wong shouted "Oopaa" as he leaped off the ledge and landed onto his feet right next to Cade.

"So this is really where your heart lies?" asked Chief Wong to Cade.

"Yes father, this is the women I want to be my wife," said Cade. Chief Wong turned his gaze towards Ilde.

"And you, Ilde, can you be a good wife to my son?" asked Chief Wong.

"Yes, I will be a good wife to Cade and a loving mother to his children," said Ilde.

"Then I shall give Cade permission to marry you," said Chief Wong. Ilde and Cade hugged each other with joy. "I shall meet you two at the ceremony so we can have your wedding."

"Yes, Father," said Cade. Chief Wong turned around and then walked off. As soon as he was gone, Bijou came out of hiding and Cade said to her, "Bijou, I just want to say 'thanks' for everything."

"You're welcome," said Bijou. "I wish you both a happy life together."

"We will," said Ilde. "Can you stay for the wedding?"

"I'm afraid I must be going," said Bijou. "I have to find my friends. Au revoir, Cade and Ilde." Bijou waved "good-bye" as she walked off.

"Bye-Q," said Cade to Bijou. Once Bijou was gone, Cade and Ilde walked to their wedding holding each other's paw.

Bijou managed to find her friends waiting for her in the forest. They were waiting anxiously for any news.

"Well, did it work?" asked Pashmina anxiously as Bijou walked up to her.

"Yep, Cade and Ilde are having zeir wedding even as we speak," said Bijou.

"Oh, that's so wonderful," said Penelope. "I wish we can stay for the wedding."

"Me too but we have to go before they find us here," said Cappy.

"Before we go, I need to do something," said Bijou. Bijou reached into her back pack and pulled out the Caidoz piece she had obtained from Cade. Bijou placed her paw on the piece and said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Instantly, the piece began to glow a silver colored light which lit up the area in it's silver glow. As the piece glowed, a silver colored symbol engraved itself onto the Caidoz piece. The Caidoz piece stopped glowing but the symbol still glowed a silver glow. The symbol looked like two round circles with tails that trailed behind them as if they were chasing each other in a circle. This was Bijou's zodiac sign: Cancer.

"Look you guys, I did eet," said Bijou.

"Good because we better get out of here because Chief Wong's guards might have seen the bright light from the Caidoz piece," pointed out Pashmina

"Oh my," said Bijou in shock as she realized her mistake. Bijou placed the Caidoz piece into the backpack and ran off with her friends along the long journey home.


	5. Sunken Zodiac

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 5: Sunken Zodiac

Team Two included Panda, June, Maxwell, Moonbeam, and Kylie. After they had pulled their two clues from Neteru's bucket, they read the first clue which said:

_A Caidoz piece is located on a ship called "The S.S. Neptune" which is somewhere around the city called Zolphville on the island known as Halastia._

They were thrilled about the idea of going to Halastia but they didn't like the idea of having to walk all the way there. As they headed along the way to Halastia, they learned that Team Five (which includes Hamtaro, Neteru, Kaiu, Dexter, and Howdy) also was on their way to Halastia to obtain a Caidoz piece. So the two teams marched side by side and after five days of hiking through the woods, they found the docks where the ham-ham sized ships were kept. Great relief swept the wary adventurers as they reached the docks. Using some money Daruth gave them, they managed to get tickets to a ship and through the three day trip out at sea, they relaxed their tired feet.

After lunch on the third day of their trip, the two teams sat on the floor of the deck so they could bask under the warm sun. Over in Team Five, Howdy was telling Kaiu some bad jokes and from the look on Kaiu's face, he was not enjoying the jokes. Meanwhile, June, Kylie, and Moonbeam all sat around Maxwell and Panda as they were playing a game of chess. Apparently, Maxwell had brought a small portable chess board with him during their trip and he was trying to teach Panda how to play chess.

"So these little pieces that look like towers are the Bishops?" asked Panda.

"No, those are the Rooks," said Maxwell. "They can only move side by side."

"I see," said Panda. "And I still don't understand how the horses move."

"You mean the Knights?" said Maxwell. "They move in a formation that looks like an 'L.' The way how it works is that it moves two spaces sideways and then move to one more space in a perpendicular direction."

"Heke?" said Panda in frustration and confusion. Before Maxwell could explain again, Kaiu shouted, "Hey, I see the island." The Ham-Hams turned their gaze towards the bow of the ship and, sure enough, there was an island in the distance.

The Ham-Hams ran to the front of the ship, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. They stopped at the railing to admire the island ahead of them. From their position the island was very small but even from this distance, they could clearly see the cities and vegetation of the island. Kaiu, since he was so short was lifted onto Neteru's shoulders so he could see over the railing. Meanwhile, the Ham-Hams on Team Two were staring transfixed up the island they saw before them.

"I almost can't believe we're going to Halastia," said Kylie.

"Yeah, I wonder where we'll go from there," said June.

"I don't know but the hint said 'it is was on a ship called The S.S. Neptune,''" said Moonbeam.

"But if ships move around a lot, wouldn't the ship not be there?" asked Panda.

"Perhaps the ship remains stationary because it is valuable or maybe it is not seaworthy," suggested Maxwell.

"I hope you're right, Max," said Moonbeam. "Because I don't want to have to chase after a ship at sea."

The ship docked into Zolphville, allowing the Ham-Hams a chance to get off the ship. Once they gathered together onto the docks, the two teams stood in front of each other to say "good-bye."

"Well, I guess this is where we part," said Panda.

"It sure looks that way," said Neteru.

"Why aren't we going with them, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"Because the Caidoz piece they are after is in this city while the one we're after is in a town called Wattocress located in another part of Halastia," explained Neteru.

"Is it far from here?" asked Moonbeam.

"Is it far?" said Howdy. "Why it's so far, we'll have to shoot the bus we'll be riding out of a cannon just to get halfway there. Hehe." Everyone produced a sweat drop from their head in response to the bad joke.

"I recommend we get going," said Maxwell who wanted to get away from Howdy and his bad jokes as soon as possible.

"Yeah, we need to go," said June. "Bye-Q, you guys."

"Bye-Q and don't worry, we'll be back before you know it," said Hamtaro. The two teams began walking their separate directions, ready to continue their adventure.

This wasn't the first time the Ham-Hams have walked into a ham-ham city but unlike the others, Zolphville was the first modern ham-ham city they have ever been too. The inhabitants of this city lived in sturdy wooden or brick houses. The roads were paved and upon the roads were ham-ham size cars that either ran on manual peddling or they were electric. None of them ran on gas. Unlike Rokugon, there were more modern looking houses and other technological advances in Zolphville such as stop lights, pay phones, and street lights. It also had public transportation in the form of trains which resembled those a aboveground trains you see in San Francisco and just like in San Francisco, they ran along tracks built right into the road. The trains themselves looked more like basic trollies with rows of seats and no roof. There were hamsters everywhere and while the majority of them were nude, some did wear hats or scarfs or any small pieces of clothing. Only a few wore more covering pieces of clothing such as pants, vests, shirts, skirts, etc. These were some of the many sights Panda, June, Maxwell, Moonbeam, and Kylie got to see as they walked through Zolphville but they weren't there for sight-seeing. They were there to find out where the S.S. Neptune was located. They previously checked with all the employees of the docks but neither one of them had heard of a ship called the S.S. Neptune nor did a ship with such a name ever visits their dock. However, there was one ham-ham who suggested that they visit a local scuba rental station located at a nearby smaller dock used for private use. With this information in mind, they set out to find the docks.

Panda, June, Maxwell, Moonbeam, and Kylie were all repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked through the streets of Zolphville on their way to a docks located not far from the docks for all the cargo and passenger ships.

"I wonder why no one has heard of the S.S. Neptune," said June.

"Perhaps it is not a famous or frequently seen ship," suggested Kylie.

"Or maybe it is the name of a small one-ham boat," suggested Moonbeam. The girls traded suggestions between each other through the rest of the walk. When they reached docks, Panda said, "This must be the place."

"And that must be the scuba Rental station," said Maxwell. Maxwell pointed at a small building which looked like a store of some kind. The Ham-Hams ran to the building, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

A bell rang as the door to the rental store was opened. All four of the Ham-Hams walked into store and was surprised by how much the rental station looked like a supermarket but instead of food on the shelves, there was all sorts of aquatic supplies, some for sale and others for rent. The white tiled floors, the sky blue wall paper, and the sound of music playing from an overhead radio made the place seem even more like a grocery store. Sitting from behind a counter was a short ham-ham who was covered in white fur. He was so small, he had to stand on a box just so he could see over the counter. The Ham-Hams walked over to the counter.

"May I help you?" said the small ham-ham in a squeaky voice.

"Uh, yes, we were wondering if you knew anything about the S.S. Neptune?" asked Maxwell.

"S.S. Neptune?" asked the ham-ham in confusion. "Sorry, I'm not familiar with such a boat."

"But we heard that you may know about it," said Panda.

"Well, whoever told you that must have been talking about my manager," said the little ham-ham. "He knows virtually every ship who comes here to these docks."

"Is he here?" asked Moonbeam.

"Nope," answered the little ham-ham. "He left on a business trip but he'll be back by next week."

"Next week?" said Moonbeam, creating a sweat drop. "We can't wait for a whole week."

"Well, I'm sorry but there is something I can do," said the little ham-ham.

"Okay, thanks anyway," said Panda. The four Ham-Hams sadly walked away from the counter.

"Great, now what do we do?" said June in disappointment.

As if to answer June's question, one male and one female ham-ham came into the store and upon meeting them, the Ham-Hams stopped in their tracks in surprise. The male ham-ham was white with some light brown on his right ear and half of his face. Strapped to his back was what appeared to be a turtle shell. The female ham-ham was white with light brown fur covering her head. Tied to her head was a large red beret. The reason why the Ham-Hams were so surprised to see these two was because they were none other than Daruth's former roommates, Seamore and Barrette.

"Hamha, Ham-Hams," greeted Seamore.

"Seamore, Barrette, what are you guys doing here?" asked June.

"We came in to rent some scuba diving equipment," said Barrette.

"I didn't know you scuba dive," said Maxwell.

"It has been a growing hobby with the two of us," said Seamore. "I've even been teaching Barrette how to swim, too."

"What have you two been up to?" asked Moonbeam. "Are you still living with Daruth?"

"No," answered Seamore. "Barrette and I just got married and now we live in our own home."

"Really?" said Kylie with excitement. "How wonderful."

"Yep. And Seamore and fulfilled our dream of starting a photo shop together and we now live in the store we own," said Barrette.

"You actually live in the store?" asked June. "That sounds odd."

"No it isn't," said Panda. "My human family lives in the carpenter shop Mimi's parents own." There were some nods of agreement as they realized he was correct.

Changing the subject, Seamore asked, "So what are you guys doing here?"

"We're looking for the remaining ten Caidoz pieces," said Panda.

"You mean like the one Daruth used to have?" asked Barrette.

"Yep," answered Panda. "According to a clue we got, the piece should be on the S.S. Neptune." Upon hearing the name of the ship, Seamore and Barrette dropped their mouths in shock.

"You mean 'Thee' S.S. Neptune?" asked Seamore.

"Yes, do you know about it?" asked Moonbeam.

"I know all about the S.S. Neptune," said Seamore.

"Where is it?" asked Moonbeam in excitement.

"Well, all you have to do is travel four or three miles out to sea from Zolphville and then go strait down because the S.S. Neptune has been at the bottom of the ocean for years," said Seamore.

Now, it was the Ham-Hams who were the ones who had their mouths hanging wide open.

"You're joking," said June.

"Nope, I know for a fact that the S.S. Neptune is at the bottom of the ocean," said Seamore.

"But how do you know that?" asked Maxwell.

"My grandfather actually worked on the S.S. Neptune," explained Seamore. "When he was about my age, my grandfather worked as a ship's hand on the S.S. Neptune. He had traveled to far off places on that ship and he even met my grandmother on one of his open sea voyages. But then tragedy struck when horrendous weather began to pick up during one of my grandfather's voyages. According to reports, the captain of the ship had ignored the warnings about the bad weather because he was determined to get their shipment to Halastia on time. As a result, the fierce storm capsized the boat and sank it to the bottom of the ocean. My grandfather was one of the few who survived that dreadful storm."

"Oh how awful," said Moonbeam as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Did your grandfather say anything about the Caidoz piece?" asked Maxwell.

"No but he did mention they were carrying a crate filled with rare and valuable items," said Seamore.

"Then the piece must still be in the crate," said Moonbeam.

"But how are we going to get to the bottom of the ocean?" asked Panda. "Hamsters can't swim or breath water."

"Don't worry, we can take you down there," said Barrette.

"Really?" asked Moonbeam.

"Yep, I've actually scuba dived down to that old ship twice before," said Seamore.

"Have you ever gone inside?" asked Maxwell.

"No, I've only seen the ship from the outside," said Seamore.

"So can you take us down there?" asked Maxwell.

"Absolutely," answered Seamore with a smile. "Infact, we should rent some scuba equipment and we can take my personal boat to the spot where the ship sank."

"Hamtastic, looks like the Ham-Hams are going swimming," said Moonbeam in excitement.

After renting all the equipment they would need for scuba diving, the Ham-Hams all got onto Seamore's boat and rode of out to sea. The boat was a motor boat with white paint and on the side of the boat was the name "Barrette" written in black. Obviously named after Seamore's wife. The boat raced out to sea with Seamore at the wheel directing the boat towards the location where the S.S. Neptune had sank. The Ham-Hams sat with Barrette in the back of the boat. Each of them wore orange colored life jackets and they gripped onto the side of the boat as they tried not to be tossed out of off their seats. Wanting to start conversation, Moonbeam asked Barrette, "So, have you and Seamore thought about having a child?"

"Well, it has crossed our minds recently," admitted Barrette. "We thought we could have one as soon as business picks. By the way, how is Neteru and Mara doing?"

"They're doing great," said June. "Infact, they had a baby three years ago."

"Really?" said Barrette with joy. "Boy or girl?"

"A boy named Kaiu," said Panda. "He's such a sweet little ham-ham."

"Aw, I wish I could have seen him," said Barrette. "Perhaps I should ask Mara to give me some pointers on how to be a mom."

Their conversation was interrupted when Seamore announced, "We're here." The boat was pulled to a stop and they all just sat there, allowing the waves to toss them around.

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Moonbeam.

"It sure is," said Seamore. "All we have to do is dive strait down into the water."

"But how?" asked Maxwell. "We can't swim."

"I have at my disposal some self-proportion packs with me," said Seamore. "It's one of the many Items I had rented from the rental station." Seamore reached into the supply trunk and pulled out a strange looking contraption. It was rectangle in shape and made out of a thin metal. Inside the device was what looked to be a hole of some kind that ran strait through it and inside the hole was what looked like fans. Jutting from out of the device were two handle bars where someone could grab onto the device.

"What is that?" asked Panda.

"It's a hydro proportion pack," explained Seamore. "Just hold it in front of you while you are in the water and the propellers in the pack will propel you through the water without needing to swim. It's a long way down so I got one for each of us."

Each of the Ham-Hams were given a propeller pack as well as some goggles and air tanks. As they were strapping their goggles and their air tanks on, they were beginning to feel nervous because not only were they going into the ocean but they didn't know for certain what they would run into down there. After putting on her air tank and goggles, Moonbeam placed her staff into the trunk.

"Aren't you bringing your staff with you?" asked June who noticed Moonbeam putting her staff away.

"It would be easier to swim down there if I wasn't weighted down by my staff," said Moonbeam. "Besides, I can easily lose my staff down there and spells often behave differently underwater and, unfortunately, I don't know any spells that are designed for underwater use."

"You mean we can't use your magic in the event of a emergency?" asked Maxwell in concern.

"We can, it's just that some of my spells wont work underwater or behave the same way as it would if cast on land," said Moonbeam.

"By the way, how are we going to carry the Caidoz piece back to the surface?" asked Maxwell.

"Don't worry, I'll be bringing my back pack along with some extra supplies just in case," said Panda. Maxwell noticed that Panda had cleverly managed to strap his back pack onto his chest rather than on his back, allowing him to wear his oxygen tanks on his back.

"That's clever, Panda," said Maxwell.

"Thanks," said Panda.

"Is everyone strapped and ready to go into the water?" asked Seamore with his goggles and oxygen tank on. Once everyone confirmed they were ready to go into the water, the Ham-Hams all lined up, ready to jump out of the boat.

Barrette stayed behind as they jumped out of the boat one by one. Once inside the water, they all began to dive down towards the bottom of the ocean. Holding the hydro proportion packs in front of them like Seamore had instructed, it became easy for them to dive deep into the water. There were little triggers on the handles, enabling the Ham-Hams to start the motor and turn it off at will Since everyone had mouth pieces to their air tanks in their mouths, they had no way of talking to each other as they descended into the dark depths of the ocean. The best they could do was stay together and signal each other with signs and gestures.

Neither one of the Ham-Hams had ever gone diving before so they were all amazed at the sights they saw in this aquatic world. The sensation of the ocean surrounding them gave the Ham-Hams a sense of weightlessness as if they were floating in space. Their fur waved through the water as they descended towards the bottom which made it look like their fur was alive. All around the Ham-Hams were beautiful schools of fish whose scales sparkled in the sun light that descended down through the surface of the water. The fish were not too large so the team of hamsters was not at any risk of getting eaten by them. The beautiful shapes made by the swimming fish were like a dazzlingly light show of color which surrounded our heroes as they swam by them.

As the Ham-Hams got closer to the bottom, they began to see what looked to be a small coral reef located at the bottom of the ocean. The reef held all the colors of the rainbow which was reflected upon all the beautiful plant-like shapes that made up the coral reef. The Ham-Hams were amazed at the beautiful coral reef, especially Maxwell who had only seen coral reefs in books and never realized how amazing a reef looked in real life. As they approached the reef, they followed Seamore who turned towards the North end of the reef. As they traveled further up the reef, they began to see a sunken ship which was covered in coral. It sat undisturbed on top of the reef, camouflaging it so well that the Ham-Hams couldn't even see it until they got closer to it. The schools of fish that swam around the ship also made the ship hard to see. As they got within one foot of the ship, the Ham-Hams realized the ship was ham-ham sized which was small for a human but for a hamster. Despite all the coral that was on the side of the ship, they could still make out the writing on the side which read "S.S. Neptune." Seamore led the Ham-Hams into the ship through an open door which led to the lower levels of the ship. As they entered the ship, they were unaware that someone or something was watching them....

Using their self-proportion packs, they swam single file through the halls of the ship. The hallways were badly degraded and covered in coral, making the halls and rooms even more cramped than it would have been if it hadn't have been at the bottom of the ocean for years. The Ham-Hams split up, searching through the many different rooms located within the ship. It felt eerie to be swimming around in these rooms. They were probably the only ham-hams to have been inside these rooms for years and yet they were now seeing the rooms in their watery grave, virtually left preserved after all these years.

Panda entered what appeared to be a storage room that was filled with what looked to be sun follower seeds that were degraded from all the salt water. Panda cautiously searched the room until he found a large wooden crate in the corner. Remembering what Seamore said about the piece being in a crate, Panda directed himself towards the crate to investigate. The crate was so badly deteriorated that Panda easily pried the crate's lid off with nothing but his bare paws. Upon opening the crate, all Panda saw was some deteriorated pieces of jewelry and artworks. But despite the degraded state of all the items in the crate, there was one piece that remained unchanged. That piece was a Caidoz piece which stood out amongst the debris like a butterfly in a swarm of flies. The piece was still clean and well preserved, as if it had only been in the water for only a few seconds. Remembering the extraordinary durability of the Caidoz pieces, Panda was not surprised to see the piece in this kind of a condition. He picked up the piece and placed it into his back pack. He then swam off to find his comrades.

The Ham-Hams gathered together and they swam their way through the hallways of the ship and towards their original entrance. Moonbeam was in the lead and was the first to exit the ship but as soon as she had gone out into the open, she saw something in the distance that froze her in her tracks in horror. In the distance was a small shark about two feet in length. It was black in color and covered with white stripes. The shark had been waiting for the Ham-Hams all this time and judging by the hungry look on the shark's face, Moonbeam knew that she and the Ham-Hams would make a lovely light snack for this shark.

Moonbeam immediately turned around and accelerated back into the ship. The shark charged towards Moonbeam just as she managed to get back into the ship, causing the shark's snout struck the entrance of the ship missing her. The Ham-Hams all backed away in fright as the shark's sharp teeth scraped against the edges of the doorway, fighting to get at the delicious hamsters inside. Although the Ham-Hams couldn't talk with their oxygen masks, they can all tell by the look on their faces that they were frightened out of their wits. With the shark blocking their only exit, they could be trapped there for days and (with their oxygen tanks rapidly starting to run low) they would run out of air by the time the shark will leave them alone.

Moonbeam silently volunteered to step forward and save her friends. She removed her mouth piece from her mouth and said, "_Rukmok negas_." Her voice was muffled by the water but the spell was created none the less. A beam of blue light shot from her fingers and it struck the shark in the mouth. The shark cringed in pain by the shot but was otherwise unaffected.

"The shark is too large to be affected by a spell that small," thought Moonbeam as she placed the mouth piece back into her mouth. The Ham-Hams were watching in anticipation, hoping that Moonbeam would come up with some spell that could save them but Moonbeam was coming up empty. Without her staff, she wasn't capable of using any spells that were large enough to have an affect on the shark thus limiting her options. She couldn't use any of her fire spells since they can't work underwater. She thought of using her lightening bolt spell but she figured casting a lightening bolt underwater wasn't a good idea either. The only spell she could think of was her Moonlight Blast spell that produces a beam of moonlight that will at least temporarily paralyze the shark. But she had to abandon that idea too because that kind of a spell performed without a staff or a wand requires the use of a long incantation and intricate body movements as well as the use of both paws. With an incantation that long, she would have to keep at least one paw on her mouth piece so she could quickly place the piece back into her mouth. Since she would have to let go of the mouth piece while saying and performing the incantation, she might not be able to place the mouth piece back into her mouth before she passes out from the lack of air. Realizing how hopeless the situation was, Moonbeam knew that she had no way of saving herself or her friends.

"I wish Mara and Neteru were here," thought Moonbeam. "Those two are more advanced sorcerers than me and if they were here, they would have surely had a few spells specially designed for underwater environments." But unfortunately, Neteru and Mara weren't there to help. They were on their own.

Realizing that Moonbeam had no method at her disposal to repel the shark, Panda decided to step in to save the day. Panda pulled out from his back pack a piece of rope. He then tied the rope around the handle of the hydro proportion pack. He tied the rope around the activation switch on the handle, causing the motor to constantly run and threatening to pull Panda along with it. Panda held onto the side of a door with all his strength as he tied the rope tightly onto the handle. Once the rope was tied onto it, Panda then gripped onto the side of the door with one paw as he aimed the pack at the shark's snapping jaws. Realizing what he was doing, the other Ham-Hams helped him hold onto the proportion pack as they helped him aim at the shark's mouth. After taking careful aim, Panda then let go of the pack. With the rope tied onto the trigger on the pack, the pack was able to propel itself towards the shark. The pack landed right into the shark's mouth and began to work its way through the shark's throat. The shark immediately stopped attacking the side of the ship and began choking on the device. The shark twitched in pain as it swam off with the device still lodged in his throat. Now that the shark was gone, this gave the Ham-Hams the chance to escape the ship. Since Panda had lost his hydro proportion pack, Seamore gave him his and chose to manually swim to the surface.

The Ham-Hams managed to find their boat on the surface where they had left it. The soaking wet Ham-Hams all climbed into the boat, glad to finally be on dry land again.

"I'm soaked," said June.

"I look like a wet sponge," said Kylie.

"At least we got the Caidoz piece," said Panda as he pulled the piece out from his back pack.

"Yeah, good work, Panda," said Maxwell.

"So now that we have the piece, what do we do with it?" asked Barrette.

"We need to activate it," explained Panda. "Here, I'll show you." Panda placed his paw on the piece and said the poem. "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Instantly, the piece began to glow a red color which lit up the area with its light. A red glowing zodiac sign engraved itself onto the piece. The sign was Aries, Panda's zodiac sign. The Aries sign looked like a vertical line with two half circles attached on one end and their open sides pointing downwards like a geyser of water spewing water into the air and the water was coming down on both sides. The piece stopped glowing but the symbol remained, giving off its soft red light.

"Wow, that was incredible," said Seamore who was amazed by the Caidoz piece. "How did you do that?"

"Each of the Caidoz pieces represent a sign of the zodiac and their symbols can only be revealed by someone who has the same zodiac sign," explained Panda. "My zodiac sign is Aries which is why I can activate the piece since this piece represents the sign of Aries."

"Incredible," said Barrette. "But it still doesn't explain why you want those pieces?"

"We'll explain it to you on the way back to Zolphville," said Moonbeam. Remembering that they need to return home, Seamore got into the boat's driver's seat and they all road off back to Halastia.


	6. The Bungi Day Carnival

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 6: The Bungi Day Carnival

Upon reaching Seamore and Barrette's photo shop where they live, the Ham-Hams smelt like salt water and their fur was rough and sticky. All of them had to spend some time in the shower just to get the salt water out of their fur. After showering, Seamore and Barrette offered to let the Ham-Hams stay for the night and the team willingly agreed.

The Ham-Hams slept on camping mats in Seamore and Barrette's living room. The living room was small and cramped but luckily, there wasn't too many furniture that was blocking their way, making it easier to move the furniture to the side. Panda, June, Maxwell, Moonbeam, and Kylie slept soundly inside the small living room with nothing but thin blankets to keep them warm. By the next morning, they were awakened by the smell of breakfast.

"What's that delicious aroma?" was the first words that left Moonbeam's mouth as she woke up.

"It smells like something's cooking," said Panda.

"Lets go over and have some breakfast," said Maxwell.

"Okay, but my neck is still sore from this mat, though," said June rubbing her neck. The Ham-Hams got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was just as plain looking as the living room with some simple white cabinets, green counters, and a blue oval shaped table. Across the kitchen, they saw Barrette next to a waffle iron making waffles. She saw the Ham-Hams enter the kitchen and she said, "Hello, want some sun flower seed waffles?"

"Okay, I sure could go for some," said Moonbeam.

They all gathered around the table and began to have breakfast. Eventually, Seamore came in and joined them all for some waffles.

"So, where is the next Caidoz piece located?" asked Barrette as she poured some syrup on her waffles.

"According to the clue, it said 'the next piece is located somewhere in The Bungi Day Carnival' or something like that," said Panda.

"The Bungi Day Carnival?" said Barrette in surprise. "What a coincidence, we were planning on going there ourselves."

"You were?" asked June before taking a bite out of her waffle.

"But what is The Bungi Day Carnival?" asked Kylie.

"Today is a Halastia holiday called Bungi Day," explained Barrette. "Bungi Day celebrates the day a ham-ham sailor named Bungi had first set foot on this island and gave it its name. Using his great leadership skills and wilderness survival techniques, Bungi scoured the island and mapped it. Shortly afterwards, Bungi began the construction of cities there and years later, his grandson organized Halastia's first government."

"Bungi Day is celebrated every year with a carnival that takes place in a neighboring city called Bonnlay," said Seamore.

"But why would the piece be at the carnival?" asked Maxwell as he grabbed another waffle.

"We've never been there before but we do know that the carnival has many contests where contestants win all sorts of valuable and expensive prizes," explained Seamore.

"So the Caidoz piece must be one of the prizes of the carnival," said Maxwell and he poured syrup on his waffle.

"Sure looks like it," said Seamore.

"How will we get to the carnival?" asked June.

"Our train leaves at ten AM so we should be there at the train station very soon," said Barrette.

"Then we better eat a good breakfast because we've got some games to play," said Moonbeam.

After breakfast, the Ham-Hams, Barrette, Seamore, and the hamans got ready to go to Bonnlay to see the carnival. The Ham-Hams once again got to admire the sights of Zolphville as they all walked to the train station. The train looked more like a toy train, even from their perspective, yet it still ran like any ordinary train. The interior of the train's cars were filled with rows upon rows of soft fabric seats which were more comfortable to sit on than they looked. Once the Ham-Hams arrived at Bonnlay, they once again had to walk through the town of Bonnlay to get to the carnival. Bonnlay was a much more smaller town than Zolphville. It had small buildings and simple dirt roads that exist along miles and miles of open land. It didn't have fancy public transportation like Zolphville nor did it have large crowds of ham-hams.

"Are we there yet?" asked Panda. "My feet are beginning to hurt." After walking non-stop for over an hour, all of them was beginning to become tired.

"Don't worry, we should be there any minute now," answered Seamore but as soon as he said that, their first sight of the carnival was spotted by Moonbeam.

"Look, I see it," said Moonbeam pointing forwards. In the distance, they could see what defiantly looked like a carnival of some kind. There were clearly some crowds of hamsters gathering around the entrance to a small carnival and they could see all the large tents and rides even from a distance. Excited, the Ham-Hams ran towards the carnival, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

As they got closer to the carnival, they began to see the large wooden banner over the entrance which read, "Bungi Day Carnival." There were crowds of Ham-Hams who had gathered in line to buy tickets to the carnival and the line stretched far into the streets.

"With this line, we could be standing here all day just to get in," said Kylie.

"Don't worry, we bought our tickets online," said Barrette. "All we have to do is go to the entrance and show them the tickets we printed out."

"Oh great," said Maxwell. "Lets go inside." They walked over to the ticket master in a booth beside the entrance. The ticket master was light orange in color and he wore a red and white striped shirt with vertical stripes and he also wore green sun glasses. He leaned over to the speaker on the window and said, "Ticket's please." Barrette showed him some printed pieces of paper which had ticket information written on it. The ticket master took the papers and then opened the small gate, allowing the Ham-Hams inside the carnival.

At first glance, the carnival looked no different than the Ham-Ham Fun Park except that it had a bigger crowd of hamsters who were waiting in lines to ride the rides and play the games. Many of the games were located in the tents either out of sight or with one end of the tents open to allow others to see what's inside. All the tents had red and white vertical stripes just like the shirt the ticket master was wearing. The Ham-Hams repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked through the carnival, admiring all the rides and all the games that were around them.

"Wow, this is so cool," said June. "I want to play on some of those basket ball hoops."

"I want to try the ring toss," said Kylie.

"Look, a shooting ring," said Panda. "I got to try that."

"Now guys, we didn't come here just to play a few carnival games," said Maxwell. "We came here to find that Caidoz piece."

"Oh yeah," said Panda miserably. "But how will we find the piece?"

"I could use my powers to find it," said Moonbeam. "I can cast a spell that will enable me to sense any form of magical relic here in this city."

"Well, give it a go," said June. Moonbeam placed the stone the end of her staff to her forehead and began to say an incantation, "_Vurok monnaugic zoogan vifga_." As she talked, the stone on her staff began to glow, causing a few passerby's to stare in curiosity as as she performed the spell. Once she was done pronouncing the spell, the staff stopped glowing and Moonbeam removed the staff from her forehead.

"Did you find it?" asked Kylie.

"I senesced a magical force in this direction," said Moonbeam as she pointed to her right.

"Well lets go and see if we can find it there," said Maxwell. The Ham-Hams ran off in the direction of the Caidoz piece, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they ran.

Eventually, the Ham-Hams encountered a crowd which had gathered around a wooden stage. Everyone in the crowd was anxiously awaiting for something but the Ham-Hams couldn't tell what it was.

"Are you sure that the piece is here?" asked Maxwell.

"This is where I felt the magical energy," insisted Moonbeam.

"Perhaps if we wait here, we would be able to see it or find out how to win it," suggested June.

"Well, I don't think we have much other choice in the matter," said Maxwell.

"Very well, then we wait," said Moonbeam. They didn't have to wait long because at that moment, a rather fat looking hamster walked onto the stage. He was light brown all over and he wore a dark gray vest and a black top hat. The crowd cheered as the hamster walked on stage as if he was a celebrity of some kind. The fat ham-ham walked up to a microphone and talked into it, causing his voice to echo from the stereos.

"Welcome my fellow ham-hams," said the fat ham-ham. "My name is Morigun, owner of Solvix Inc. and the sponsor of this years carnival. As you may all know, this is the time where we start off the Bungi Tournament. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a contest that is held every year where two teams of five will compete in four different challenges, earning points for their team."

"What is the the Bungi Tournament?" asked Maxwell to Barrette while Morigun kept talking.

"The tournament is a traditional event to the carnival," explained Barrette. "I heard that the challenges for each year changes and they don't reveal the new challenges until the day of the contest." Maxwell nodded his head in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to Morigun.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what the prize will be this year," continued Morigun. "Well, this year's prize has been donated courteously by Ruby's Jewels. It's an actual hand made necklace made of authentic stones and jewels making this little piece of jewelry worth over four hundred keyomes." (AN: keyomes is a form of ham-ham currency) Morigun walked over to a large chest on the stage and opened it with a key. Morigun then reached into the chest and pulled out a large gold necklace. There were some cheers from the crowd as they all got to have a look at the necklace. The string of the necklace was covered in gold beads that wrapped around the necklace. Attached to the necklace was several beautiful stones that decorated the front of the necklace. But the one quality of the necklace that really caught Maxwell's attention was that hanging from the necklace was a Caidoz piece.

"Heke?" said Maxwell in surprise. "You guys, there's a Caidoz piece hanging on that necklace."

"Heke?" chorused the Ham-Hams.

"Are you sure?" asked June.

"Positive," said Maxwell. Before they could discuss the situation, Morigun began talking again.

"And now that we have our prize, lets bring out our contestants." From off the stage, five Ham-Hams climbed onto the stage and walked up to Morigun. The five ham-hams waved at the crowds in a show-off kind of fashion as if they were self-centered actors enjoying the applause of their fans. They stood side by side right next to Morigun who said, "You may all remember these five as last year's winners. They are Drake, Marcy, Tia, Doji, and Toritaka." The audience applaud loudly as the names of the contestants were announced. Drake was a rather tall hamster with orange fur on the back and white on the front and long droopy ears. Marcy was gray in color and had too long pig tails tied with blue ribbons on the end of them. Tia looked like Marcy but she had charcoal gray fur and no pig tails. Doji had a dark gray head with the rest of his fur white. He also had squinted eyes. Toritaka had flaming red fur with a matching head band tied to her head. The head band had a yin/yang symbol on the front.

"These five contestants are team one of the tournament," continued Morigun. "Now lets bring out team two." The crowd began to applaud, expecting team two to come out, but for some reason, the next team did not come up. Everyone was confused about this, including Morigun who stared blankly. A ham-ham walked up to Morigun and whispered something into his ear. Morigun then turned to the crowd and said, "Ladies and gentlehams, I'm afraid to announce that the second team has not shown up to the tournament." Disappointed ham-hams moaned in frustration. "It looks like we will need a replacement team in order to continue the tournament. Who wants to be in the tournament?"

"We do!" cried Maxwell from the crowd.

"I see we have a volunteer," said Morigun.

"What are you doing, Max?" asked Moonbeam.

"This is our chance to win that Caidoz piece," said Maxwell.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" said Morigun from the stage. "Come on up." nervously, the Ham-Hams worked their way through the cheering crowd to the stage.

The Ham-Hams made their way to the stage and they climbed up on top of it so they could join Morigun.

"So, what are your names?" asked Morigun. The Ham-Hams introduced themselves by name and then Morigun said into the microphone, "I now bring to you team two which includes Maxwell, Moonbeam, Panda, June, and Kylie. These two teams will battle it out for the grand prize." The crowd cheered with excitement. "Well, enough with the introductions and lets begin the game." The crowd continued to cheer loudly and applauded for the ham-hams in the tournament. Meanwhile, Panda leaned over to Maxwell and said, "I hope you know what you're doing."

The Ham-Hams, as well as their opponents and the audience, were led across the carnival to what appeared to be a pool that was one foot in diameter and three inches deep (which is about the size of a large kiddy pool to a hamster's perspective) and within this pool was some small red, blue, and green balls that floated on the surface of the water. Each of the balls had rings attached to their tops. The Ham-Hams, as well as their opponents, were led to the side of a small wooden platform with rectangle shaped blue buckets nailed to the side. Morigun stepped onto the platform and said to the gathering crowd, "Everyone, welcome to the first round of the tournament. The rules of this game is simple. One ham-ham from each team shall sit on this platform and, while using these custom made fishing rods, they will try and fish these balls out of the pool within three minutes. The green balls are worth five points, the blue balls are worth ten points, and the red balls are worth twenty points. Each contestant has five minutes to catch as many balls as they can. The winner of this game will win their team one point. Now, will your teams please step up and pick who will play this game." The crowds began to cheer as the two teams began to talk amongst each other to find out who would be the best for the round.

"So who's going to be in this game?" asked Moonbeam.

"Well, hardly any of us are good at fishing except for Boss but he's not here right now," said Panda.

"I've never fished in my life," said June.

"Neither have I," said Kylie.

"Well someone's going to have to get up there," said Maxwell.

"Fine, I'll do it," said Moonbeam.

"Do you know how to fish?" asked Kylie.

"Well, my dad used to fish with me before he died," said Moonbeam. Moonbeam never did mention to the humans how her entire family had been brutally murdered, especially since Moonbeam didn't like to talk about it.

"Okay Moonbeam, you can be in this game," said Maxwell. Moonbeam gave her staff to Maxwell and then made her way to the platform. She climbed onto the platform and as she did, her opponent got onto the platform next to her. Her opponent was Toritaka who gave Moonbeam a sinister grin which was made even more sinister with her head band on. Moonbeam cast a nervous glance at Seamore and Barrette who stood in the crowd watching her. Both gave her reassuring smiles despite how grim the situation is.

Moonbeam and Toritaka were handed two long fishing rods with a short line and a hook attached to the end of it. Morigun shouted out to the two contestants, "Okay, begin fishing in five, four, three, two, one, go." Moonbeam and Toritaka began to use their lines to fish out the little balls that floated on top of the small pool. The Ham-Hams began cheering words of encouragement to Moonbeam as she fished the little balls out of the pool. Moonbeam attempted to catch the red balls but their rings were a lot smaller than the green or blue balls. After an entire minute had past, Moonbeam had managed to catch only one red ball and had placed it inside the bucket attached to the side of the platform. Meanwhile, Toritaka had managed to catch five balls already, four of them were blue balls while one was a green ball. Beginning to panic, Moonbeam began to focus on all the green balls. The green balls were easier to catch but after another minute, she had only caught five of them which was worth only 25 points. With only one minute remaining, Moonbeam struggled to catch some of the blue balls but at this point, Toritaka had already taken a lot of the green and blue balls and she already started on catching the red balls. Desperate to catch up, Moonbeam went for the red balls and managed to catch three of them before the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the round.

Moonbeam and Toritaka stepped off the platforms and waited next to their teams as the judges counted all the balls they had collected.

"I did a horror job," said Moonbeam who was on the verge of tears.

"Oh, don't cry, Moonbeam," said Panda. "None of us could have done any better."

"Yeah, and we still have four more rounds," said Maxwell. "There's still hope." The crowd began to fall silent as Morigun came up and said, "Okay, the score has been counted and points stand thus. Moonbeam has managed to earn a score of 1520 points in this game but Toritaka has managed to earn a grand total of 2475 points making team one the winners of this round." There were cheers as team one began to celebrate their victory.

"Now folks, if you all come with me, we will begin the next round," said Morigun over the cheers.

The crowd was led to a tent located not far from the fishing game. Part of the tent was wide open, revealing one of those old fashioned shooting rinks with all sorts of targets such as wooden ducks, cowboys, rabbits, etc. As the crowd gathered around the shooting rink, Morigun said, "Now in this round, our contestants will take these guns and shoot at the targets." Morigun picked up one of the rink's riffles to present to the crowd. "These guns are specially designed to keep track of the shooter's score which is displayed on this small screen." Morigun pointed to a small screen located just behind the riffle's sight. "The ham-ham with the highest score is the winner of this round. Okay teams, pick your contestants." The Ham-Hams huddled together to talk to each other.

"Who of us has had experience with firing weapons?" asked Maxwell.

"Well, I did use an old sling shot when I was just a ham-babe but that was a long time ago," said Panda.

"I guess you will have to do," said Maxwell.

"Okay, I'll do it," said Panda nervously before walking over to the shooting rink, ready to begin the game.

Panda's opponent was Doji who picked up his rifle with total confidence. Panda was nervous since he had only read about how to use a rifle. He held the gun with both hands and prepared to get ready to shoot.

"Okay, you have three minutes to finish the game," said Morigun to Panda and Doji. "Ready, go." Once again, the crowd began cheering as Panda and Doji fired at the moving targets in the rink. Loud "bangs" and "clinks" were heard as Panda fired at the targets with determination however, he was having a hard time hitting the targets. Doji on the other hand worked his gun with professionalism and he easily hit each of his targets. When the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game, Morigun said to the crowd, "Now, I shall check each of their guns to see who won this round." Morigun walked over to Panda and looked at the numbers that were displayed on the gun.

"28 points," announced Morigun and the crowd cheered in response. Morigun then walked over to Doji and looked at the score on his gun. "54 points, we have a winner." As the crowd cheered in celebration, the Ham-Hams once again groaned in defeat. They were now losing by zero to two. This was not good.

The next round was held at what appeared to be one of those miniature basket ball games you commonly see at carnivals with the nets enclosing a miniature version of a basket ball court. However, in this game, there was four hoops instead of two.

"This game is a simple basket ball game," explained Morigun to the crowd. "Two contestants from each team will compete in this game and since this game is worth two points instead of one, this could mean victory of defeat for team two. The way how it is played is that two contestants from each team will come up to a chosen hoop and their goal is to get the ball into their hoops to win points. The team with the most points wins. Now teams, pick your players." The Ham-Hams huddled again so they could talk.

"I've never played basket ball," said Panda.

"Nether have I," said Maxwell.

"Kylie and I can do it," said June.

"You could?" asked Moonbeam.

"Oh yeah, we are good at shooting hoops," said Kylie.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Moonbeam. "Get over there and good luck."

June and Kylie's opponents were Marcy and Tia who stepped in front of the next two baskets over beside Kylie and June. As before, the two teams had three minutes to earn as many points as they could. Once the buzzer rang, they began throwing basket balls at the hoops. Electronic numbers indicated how much points they were earning as the contestants threw the balls into the air. To everyone's surprise, June and Kylie really were good at basket ball and their scores were climbing faster than Marcy and Tia's. When the buzzer finally rang, the judges counted the score and told Morigun the winner.

"Looks like the winners of this round rests with June and Kylie who won by 58 to 44, bringing the final score tied by two and two," said Morigun. The crowd cheered with joy but their cheers were not as loud as the Ham-Hams who were congratulating June and Kylie for a job well done.

"You two were wonderful," said Maxwell.

"Yeah, you were great," said Panda.

"Thanks, I told you we would beat 'em," said June.

"Lets not get over excited," said Maxwell. "There is still one more game left and the result of this next game will decide it all."

With the tension thick, everyone followed Morigun through the carnival to their next round. Strangely enough, the next round was located outside of the park and into the bare dirt grounds that surround the carnival. Waiting for them was what appeared to be a small table of some kind and upon closer inspection, the Ham-Hams realized that what they were looking at was nothing more than a small table with a chess board on top. Everyone gathered around the table, anxious to find out what will happen. Morigun stepped up to the table and said, "This is our fifth and final round. The winner of this round, wins their team the prize. Now, as you can see, this is but an ordinary chess game. The object of the game is to capture as many of your opponent's pieces as you can within five minutes. Each of the pieces offers points and the one with the most points is the winner. Pawns are worth one point, knights and bishops are worth two points, Rooks are worth three points, and the queens are worth five points. If one of the players manages to get a checkmate within the five minutes, the game ends with that ham-ham as the winner regardless of the score. Now teams, pick your players." The Ham-Hams gathered together as they began to talk about what they are going to do.

"We should have Maxwell be in this one since he is the only one who knows how to play chess," said Panda.

"True but I've never had to play a game of chess within five minutes," said Maxwell.

"You've got to try, Max," said Moonbeam.

"Yeah, you're our only chance," said June. Maxwell sighed, knowing how much rested upon him.

Maxwell and his opponent Drake sat down in small wooden chairs located on opposite sides of the table. Maxwell got the black pieces while Drake ended up with the white. Morigun stood over them and said, "Now, you all know how to play chess so you both must play by the rules which means that Drake should have the first move since he is the white piece. Remember, you have only five minutes to take down as many of your opponents pieces as possible. Ready, set, go." Drake and Maxwell began the game, moving their pieces quickly while not allowing themselves too much time to think about the consequences of their chosen moves. Maxwell allowed himself more time to think about his moves while Drake was more random and aggressive. Maxwell's slow and steady plan was not having much affect because Drake's aggressive maneuvers continued to take down Maxwell's pieces. Maxwell's pieces were dropping like flies and after four minutes, he was left with only a few pawns, a queen, his king, and two rooks. There was now only one minute remaining and with the few pieces that he had captured from Drake, it seemed that Maxwell was going to lose. As Maxwell began to examine his board, he realized a mistake that Drake had made. Maxwell had taken the time to keep his king safe while Drake had not been paying attention to his king at all. Infact, it stood on the other end of the board right behind a line of pawns which blocked it from moving. If a queen or a rook were to reach the far end of the board, it would result in a checkmate, enabling Maxwell to win the game but Drake's queen was in the way. If he could some how move the queen, he could checkmate the king and win the game but how was he going to do that?

Thinking fast, Maxwell deliberately placed his queen in position where the piece could be captured by Drake's queen. Drake took the bait and captured the queen. Seizing the opportunity, Maxwell moved his rook to the other end of the board and said, "Checkmate." Drake's eyes bugged out of his head as he realized his mistake. When Morigun leaned over to examine the board, he said, "He did make a checkmate. Maxwell is the winner." There were cheers of joy from the crowd, especially from the Ham-Hams who had been ready to pass out from all the anticipation. The crowd of ham-hams gathered around Maxwell and lifted him over their heads. The crowd began repeating Maxwell's name over and over again in celebration and all Maxwell had to do was sit back and listen to all the applauds.

After winning the necklace, they all walked towards the train station, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked. Maxwell's attention was on the necklace where he attempted to remove the wires that held the Caidoz piece to the necklace.

"Grooba," said Maxwell as he pulled the last wire off, enabling him to hold the Caidoz piece now free from the necklace.

"So, what are we going to do with this prize?" asked Moonbeam.

"Well, after I cut off these wires, I'm going to give them to Sandy," said Maxwell, blushing a bit.

"Oh, going to give it to your girlfriend, huh?" said June tauntingly. Maxwell blushed so much that his face looked bright red. He was so embarrassed that he began to rub his head, repeating "Kushi-Kushi" as he did.

"By the way, we still have to activate the piece," said Kylie.

"Oh yeah," said Maxwell. "I'll do it first." Maxwell placed his paw on the Caidoz piece and said the incantation. "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Instantly, the piece began to glow brightly in a purplish red (also known as burgundy) light which, just like the other pieces, lit up the area in its glow. Right before Maxwell's eyes, a zodiac sign engraved itself onto the piece. The symbol looked like an "M" with the third point on the far right end ending with an upwards raised arrow. This was Maxwell's zodiac sign: Scorpio. Eventually, the piece stopped glowing, leaving behind the burgundy colored symbol which softly glowed.

"Wow, which sign is that one?" asked Panda.

"This is Scorpio," explained Maxwell.

"As in scorpions?" asked Barrette.

"Yep," said Maxwell.

"You know, now that we have the piece, that means our work here is done," said Panda.

"Yep, we can now leave for the next boat back home by tomorrow," said Maxwell.

"That's great," said Moonbeam. "I just hope the others are doing okay." Little did Moonbeam know that the other Ham-Hams were already in the middle of their own adventures.


	7. Ghosts of Ikaruga

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 7: Ghosts of Ikaruga

Team Three was made up of Oxnard, Terra, Mara, Kana, and Laura. When Mara picked up a clue from Neteru's bucket, she read the clue out loud which read:

_Abandoned for years, the Ikaruga catacombs is located near the south end of Rokugon where the Sun Flower Clan inhabits._

The Ham-Hams were thrilled about the news because their friend Soshi lives in Rokugon and is a samurai and daimyo (clan leader) of the Sun Flower Clan. They hadn't seen or heard from Soshi since their adventure to Halastia four years ago and they had no idea what she had been doing all that time. They walked along the forest trails that led to Rokugon, the same trails they had walked along four years ago. The out-of-shape Oxnard lagged behind, tired and sweaty from all the walking. The others were not as bothered by all the exorcise as Oxnard yet after four whole days of hiking, Ham-Hams were starting to ware out.

Oxnard fell over onto the forest floor, panting and sweating with exhaustion. The others stopped and gathered around Oxnard, curious if he really was tired or just faking.

"Can we please stop for a break?" asked Oxnard, his mouth dry from all the exercise.

"What time is it, Terra?" asked Mara. Terra closed her eyes and began to use her psionic powers to figure out the time of day.

"It's seven-thirty," said Terra. Looking over at the setting sun in the distance, Mara said, "Okay, we can all stop for the night." With some sighs of relief, the Ham-Hams all sat down on the forest floor to rest their feet. The Ham-Hams reached into their back packs and pulled out sun flower seeds for them to eat. Particularly Oxnard who began devouring his sun flower seeds as if it was his last meal. Repeatedly, they said "Packa-Packa" and "Krmp-Krmp" as they ate their seeds.

"Oh, a full belly sure feels good," said Oxnard with glee after eating at least a dozen seeds. He reached into his back pack for another seed but as he groped around inside his back pack, he made the horrible discovery that he was out of food. Oxnard began to panic.

"Oh no, I'm out of seeds," cried Oxnard. A geyser of tears flowed out of Oxnard's eyes as he cried in sadness. "This is awful, I'm going to starve."

"Well, you wouldn't have been in this position if you hadn't of strained your rations like that," said Mara.

"You're not going to let me starve, are you?" asked Oxnard. Mara sighed in frustration.

"Fine, I'll share my rations with you until we can restock upon reaching Rokugon," said Mara.

"Oh thank you, Mara," said Oxnard in tears.

Suddenly, the Ham-Hams heard what sounded like guitar music followed by someone's voice. "Like a seed without a sun flower. Like a plane without wings. I'm a rebel born and free. Not chained by wind, not bounded by time. I'm a wonderer of the land and my music is my only guide." Recognizing the guitar and the bad poetry, the Ham-Hams craned their heads towards a high branch overhead to see none other than Jingle sitting on top of a branch with his guitar in his paws.

"Hamha, Jingle," said Laura.

"Hello, Lorren," said Jingle.

"My name's 'Laura,'" said Laura irritably.

"Changed your name again, I see," said Jingle. Laura growled irritably. Jingle leaped off of the branch and landed softly onto the ground.

"So, what brings you here, Jingle?" asked Terra before biting into a mealworm.

"I'm on my way to Rokugon," answered Jingle.

"Are you going to see your little sister Soshi?" asked Kana. "Because if you are, we're on our way to Rokugon to see her also."

"Sure am because, as of now, Soshi has been blessed with a little ham-ham of her own to careful," said Jingle. It took a while for the adventurers to figure out what Jingle was talking about before Mara said, "Jingle, are you trying to tell us that Soshi is going to have a baby?"

"Sure am," said Jingle. "My little sis had married her boyfriend and she had gave me a letter, telling me that she's now pregnant with her first baby and I'm going to Rokugon to visit the mother-to-be."

"How wonderful," said Laura with joy.

"Yeah, that means that you're going to be an uncle," said Kana.

"Yep, and I like the title of 'Uncle Jingle,'" said Jingle.

"This is so cool," said Kana. "I hope we get to witness the baby's birth while we're there."

"Did Soshi say if it was going to be a boy or a girl?" asked Mara.

"No but we will find out when we get there," said Jingle.

The next day, the Ham-Hams managed to arrive to one of the gates leading to Rokugon. Rokugon is surrounded entirely by a stone wall and the only way in or out of Rokugon was through the many gates which were often guarded at all times. Fortunately, the Ham-Hams met no resistance by the guards as they entered into the largest ham-ham dominated city in Japan. They repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked through the rural parts of Rokugon. This part of Rokugon was not unfamiliar to the Ham-Hams. They had been to this part of town numerous times before and it hasn't changed once, not after four years. The rural parts of Rokugon were made up of simple farm land, dirt roads, and houses that were either built right into the sides of hills or build in the open with ordinary wood and nails. Everyone in the area was friendly and polite, frequently saying "Hamha" to the Ham-Hams as they wondered through the town.

Eventually, the Ham-Hams managed to find the castle where Soshi lived. Ever since Tamori (the original daimyo of the Sun Flower Clan) had died, Soshi had been the new daimyo of the Sun Flower Clan and has been living here in this castle ever since. It was a stone castle that was twice the size of a doll house and located a bit distant from the rest of the buildings but not by much. It looked like a typical European style castle with a hint of Chinese culture. The Ham-Hams repeated "Wasa-Wasa" As they walked towards the large doors to Soshi's castle. Upon reaching the large double doors to the castle, Jingle reached for the door's large metal knockers and banged on it three times. There was a pause before the doors slowly opened and the one who answered the door was none other than Soshi. She had white fur that was covered in spots that were the same brownish-yellow color as Jingle's fur and she even had one spot over her right eye. Normally she would be seen wearing her red colored samurai uniform but this time she stood unclad to her visitors who stood by the door. Instead of armor, she wore what looked like a back pack and (much to the Ham-Ham's surprise) Soshi didn't look pregnant like they thought she would. A smile crossed her face as she recognized the Ham-Hams.

"Mara, Ham-Hams," said Soshi. "I can't believe it is really you guys. It has been four years since we've seen each other. It's great to see you all."

"It's great to see you, too," said Mara with a smile.

"How's the other Ham-Hams been doing?" asked Soshi.

"Oh, we've been great," said Mara.

Soshi then turned her attention to Jingle and frowned.

"It's about time you got here," said Soshi with a glare.

"What do you mean?" asked Jingle. "I came to see you like your letter said."

"I sent you that letter five months ago," said Soshi. "How come it took you five months to get here?"

"Well...I just got your letter a few weeks ago," lied Jingle nervously.

"You lie," said Soshi. "I asked the mailham who sent you the letter and he ensured me that you got the letter."

"Well, at least I got here to see the birth of your baby," said Jingle quickly.

"If that is what you came here to see, then you just arrived over a month too late," said Soshi.

"You mean you already had your baby?" asked Jingle in surprise.

"Yes, and if you had arrived here sooner, you would have witnessed her birth," said Soshi angrily.

"Well, can we at least see the baby?" asked Laura.

"Certainly," said Soshi with a smile. Soshi pulled her arms behind her back and reached into her back pack which revealed to be not a back pack but one of those strap-on baby carriers and inside the carrier was Soshi's baby. Soshi pulled the little hamster infant out of the carrier and held the baby in her arms. The baby ham-ham had white fur and was covered in the same brownish-yellow spots as her mother but she also had some brown spots as well. Tied to her left ear was a little red ribbon.

"Everyone, I would like you all to meet my new daughter, Kuni," said Soshi.

"Oh, she's so beautiful," said Mara with joy.

"Mind if I hold my niece?" asked Jingle.

"Well, okay but be careful with her," said Soshi. Soshi gave the baby to Jingle who held Kuni gently in his arms.

"Hey Kuni, say 'hello' to your Uncle Jingle," said Jingle. The Ham-Hams gathered around Jingle so they could see Kuni in Jingle's arms. The Ham-Hams all admired the baby who just looked up to them, not sure what all these strangers were doing.

"Would you guys like to go inside?" offered Soshi as she picked up Kuni out of Jingle's arms.

"Certainly," said Mara and the Ham-Hams went inside after Soshi.

The Ham-Hams were led through the massive halls of the castle, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked. The halls were decorated from floor to ceiling with paintings of samurai in glorious battle. There were also weapons and shields that decorated the walls of the castle, reminding the Ham-Hams of Soshi's war-like upbringing. As one would expect, the entire home was filled with fancy furniture and expensive decorations that one would find in such a fancy home. Soshi led the Ham-Hams into what appeared to be a gym of some kind. The gym had padded rubber floors with many weights and work-out equipment. Not far from them, they could see a ham-ham who was holding a wooden sword and practicing with it as if he was fighting an invisible opponent. From behind, all they could see was that the ham-ham was wearing blue colored samurai armor. Soshi approached the ham-ham (keeping her distance from the sword) and said, "Kitsu, we have company." The ham-ham named Kitsu spun around and was surprised to see Soshi and the ham-hams behind him.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Kitsu.

"We just got here," said Soshi. Soshi held Kuni in her arms as Kuni began to reach for Kitsu with both arms towards him. Noticing Kuni, Soshi said, "Looks like someone wants their daddy." Kitsu picked up Kuni out of Soshi's paws and then held the little infant, cradling her in his arms.

"How's Daddy's little girl?" said Kitsu as he began tickling Kuni's belly with one finger, causing Kuni to laugh loudly.

As Kitsu played with Kuni, Soshi said to the Ham-Hams, "This is my husband and Kuni's father, Kitsu."

"Nice to meet you," said Laura.

"Sorry you had to meet me in training like this," said Kitsu. "If I knew you were coming, I would have had a more formal greeting."

"That's okay, it's not like we warned you ahead of time," said Mara. Kitsu placed Kuni back into her mother's back pack and then he began to remove his armor. He managed to remove the heavy armor he was wearing and placed the suit to the side. With his armor off, the Ham-Hams could now see that Kitsu had white fur with dark brown spots all over his body, the same brown spots as the ones all over Kuni.

"Kitsu, you remember my big brother, Jingle, do you?" said Soshi. Noticing Jingle, Kitsu said, "Oh yeah, you mean he's finally come?"

"Hey Kitsu, long time no see," said Jingle.

"It has been a long time since last we met but who are the others?" asked Kitsu pointing at the Ham-Hams. The Ham-Hams introduced themselves one by one. Once the introductions was over, Mara explain to Soshi and Kitsu why they had come to Rokugon. She told them about the Caidoz pieces and how they can be activated by someone with a matching zodiac sign. She explained how they were out to get the pieces before Glabrezu and Spat could use them to free Bocka. Soshi listened intently to every word.

"Now we have to find a Caidoz piece that is right here in Rokugon," said Mara.

"Where is it?" asked Kitsu who was also interested in the story.

"It's in the Ikaruga crypts," said Mara. Soshi gasped in shock.

"You're going into Ikaruga?" said Soshi.

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" asked Mara.

"Ikaruga is haunted," said Kitsu.

"Haunted, as is ghosts?" said Oxnard as he clutched his seed and shook in fright.

"Yes, centuries ago, Ikaruga was a tomb reserved for the dishonorable samurai who had died," explained Soshi. "Back then, honor meant everything, including your social life and public image. All the honorable samurai who had died in combat were aloud to be buried in fancy cemeteries while the dishonorable samurai were forced to be buried in inferior burials that were degrading and far from contact from others. Ikaruga was one of them. About two-hundred years ago, Rokugon stopped valuing honor so much and discontinued the punishment of the dishonorable. However, the souls of those buried at Ikaruga had become restless. Angered by the poor treatment they received in life and the disrespect paid to their corpses, the restless souls of the samurai who were buried there still linger and they will attack any who enter the crypt. With over 500 buried at Ikaruga, it is the second most haunted place in Rokugon."

"Is it possible that a Caidoz piece might be in Ikaruga?" asked Mara.

"I heard a story that a samurai bandit was killed during a heist and one of the items he stole was a Caidoz piece," said Soshi. "Not realizing the samurai still had the piece, they buried him and the piece inside Ikaruga. However, only the most bravest and powerful of warriors can enter Ikaruga and expect to come out alive."

"Well, we tried," said Oxnard, shaking in fright. "I say we forget about the piece and just go home."

"We can't," insisted Terra. "Ghosts or no ghosts, we have to collect all twelve pieces. The fate of the world depends on it."

"And besides," said Laura, "Soshi can help us, can't she?"

"I'm afraid a samurai can provide little help when it comes to fighting a ghost," said Soshi, "but I do know someone who can help us."

Soshi led the Ham-Hams to what appeared to be a large throne room with a large steel throne that was decorated with images of warriors and battle. The throne was lined with a gold coating and the cushions were a soft lavender color. After sending a messenger off, Soshi sat on her throne with Kuni in her arms, waiting for someone to arrive. Within minutes, a ham-ham came into the room. The ham-ham wore a necklace around his neck that had four arrow shaped black onyx stones attached to it as well as a single round clear quartz stone that was engraved into a gold colored amulet. Around his waist, the ham-ham wore a belt with a sword in the belt's sheath. The ham-ham had brownish-orange spots all over his body. The Ham-Ham walked over to Soshi, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as he did and then he kneeled down to Soshi in respect.

"You summoned me," said the ham-ham.

"I'm glad you came," said Soshi. "Ham-Hams, this is is Arwrue, the best shaman that the Sun Flower Clan has to offer." The Ham-Hams didn't respond, not sure what a shaman was supposed to be. Soshi turned her attention back to Arwrue and said, "I need you to accompany my friends into Ikaruga to find the Caidoz piece inside. Will you do this for me?"

"Of course, me lady," said Arwrue as if he was addressing a queen.

"But how will he protect us against the ghosts?" asked Oxnard.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Arwrue. "I've dealt with spirits of all shapes and sizes since I was just a ham-babe. I've even been in Ikaruga before and came out alive."

"Well, it certainly sounds like you know what you're doing," said Mara. "When can you take us into Ikaruga?"

"Immediately," said Arwrue.

"Excellent, I'll leave you all to yourselves and I wish you all the best of luck," said Soshi. Soshi got up from her throne with Kuni curled up and sound asleep in her mother's arms. "As for me, I got to put this little one to bed." Soshi walked out of the room, leaving the Ham-Hams alone with Arwrue so they could prepare for the dangerous task ahead of them.

With some supplies given to them by Kitsu, the Ham-Hams, Jingle, and Arwrue began the journey to the foreboding Ikaruga. They traveled on foot outside of the main city and into some rocky hills located within Rokugon's territory. The hills were not very large for a human but to a ham-ham, they were tall and treacherous to climb. Not to mention Jingle kept saying bad poetry all the way there. As they climbed up the rocks, Oxnard began to complain.

"Are we there yet?" asked Oxnard.

"We're close," said Arwrue. "We just have to climb over this hill." Oxnard craned his neck back so he could see the top of the hill and when he realized how high up it was, he immediately toppled over and panted. Frustrated, Mara said, "Okay, we can take a break." The Ham-Hams all sat down on the rocks and drank water from their water bottles. Wanting to start a conversation, Terra asked Arwrue, "So what does a shaman do?"

"A shaman is a sorcerer who has a connection to spirits," explained Arwrue. "I have the power to communicate with spirits and draw power from them."

"Draw power from them?" said Kana. "How?"

"I can allow any spirit to merge into my body, allowing me to use their knowledge, abilities, and powers as my own," explained Arwrue. "Different spirits grant shamans different abilities. Shamans are amazing warriors whom for centuries have fought along side samurai and have used their magic to treat the sick and injured."

"But don't you need a spirit to work magic?" asked Oxnard who had enough strength to talk.

"I've already got my spirit," said Arwrue. "Just let me show him to you." Arwrue lifted the clear quartz stone on his necklace to his mouth and said into it, "Asakura, show yourself." From the stone, a strange mist began to come out of the stone which surprised everyone. The mist lifted into the air and began to take shape into the form of a ghost. The ghost appeared to be a samurai with orange colored armor and white fur. His grayish ethereal body was transparent, enabling others to see through him.

Oxnard screamed in terror as he fell over in fright.

"Aaahhh, it's a ghost," said Oxnard.

"Relax, this is my spirit guide," explained Arwrue. "His name is Asakura and he's a samurai who died six-hundred years ago."

"You mean he's a ghost?" asked Laura, still a little afraid of Asakura.

"I sure am," said Asakura. "Me and Arwrue first met when he was a kid. Together, we've trained in the magic of shamanism and we've been together ever since."

"Friends with a ghost?" said Terra. "Well that sounds weird."

"Well, get used to it because we're close to entering a haunted crypt," said Mara.

"She's right and I can sense those ghosts even from here," said Asakura.

"Well, lets not keep them waiting," said Mara. "I think that's enough of a break. Okay, everyone on your feet." There were some groans (mainly from Oxnard) as they all got back onto their feet and continued the walk to Ikaruga.

After over an hour of hiking, the Ham-Hams found Ikaruga located on the other side of the hill. The entrance to Ikaruga was engraved upon the side of the hill, in the same gray colored stone the hill was made out of. The entrance was neatly cut into a perfect doorway and surrounding the door was some stone arches and images of ham-ham skeletons screaming in some kind of an unseen torment. The sight of the skeletal figures caused Oxnard, Laura, and Kana to shake in fright.

"You mean we have to go in there?" asked Laura in fright.

"Yes," answered Arwrue.

"Uh, I just remembered that I promised Soshi I would hamy-sit Kuni so I'll just be going along and..." said Oxnard in an pathetic excuse to avoid going into the catacomb.

"Oh grow a spine, you big coward," said Mara, a little more harsh than she intended. "We're all going in together." Oxnard swallowed in nervousness. He and the others began walking towards the entrance. Overcome with fright, Oxnard was about to run off but Mara grabbed him by his tail and dragged him to the crypt with Oxnard whining all the way.

The interior of the crypt was dark and scary. The Ham-Hams were deep underground where no lights could be seen, leaving the area pitch black. Jingle used a spell to conjure three free floating glowing spheres into the air. (A/N: Remember, Jingle is a bard which is a magical musician. See past stories for details.) The spheres followed the adventurers, shrouding the area in a bright light that lit up the crypt. They traveled deep into the crypt through narrow stone hallways that were small and devoid of any images or decorations. With a map that Mara had in her back pack, she navigated through the winding tunnels. It was traveling through a dark maze with no end to it in sight. The air within the crypt was cold and had a metallic taste which easily dried the mouths of the adventurers, except for Asakura who was a ghost that didn't need to breath or drink. The Ham-Hams repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as they nervously walked down the crypt. Asakura led the way with Arwrue not far behind.

"Do you sense anything?" asked Arwrue to his spirit guide.

"I sense a supernatural force up ahead," said Asakura. "We are getting close to the main burials of the crypt." Everyone was tense and nervous as they all listened for signs of ghosts but the crypt was silent, save for the sounds they were making themselves.

Eventually, they came to a large stone room which bore a grizzly sight. In the light of the glowing spheres, the Ham-Hams could see that the entire room was decorated in hamster bones. The withered skeletons of ham-hams were seen chained up along the walls like horrible wall decorations, filling up every available space on the walls. Some of the skeletons were chained to the floor with shackles that were spiked and obviously uncomfortable to wear. Laura gave a scream of fright when she saw three skeletons hanging by their necks on nooses by the side of the wall.

"What is this terrible place?" asked Laura.

"This is the 'execution room,'" said a cold and sinister voice from out of nowhere. The whole group turned around to face a skeleton that hung chained to the wall. From out of the skeleton, a ghost emerged. The ghost was that of a ham-ham who had (or once had) brown colored fur and he wore an orange colored robe of some kind. He had the same ghostly image as Asakura but he looked more mangled, like he had been in a fight recently and lost.

"This is the execution chamber, used to brutally torture and murder the most foulest and dishonorable criminals and samurai," said the ghost.

"Who are you?" asked Mara.

"I am Faust," said the ghost. "I too was brutally tortured here. In this room, many lives had been sacrificed. Hamsters were often hung upon these walls and left there to starve to death while others were buried under the floor alive. I was sentenced here because I was a necromancer."

"What's a necromancer?" asked Kana, trying not to shake in fright.

"A necromancer is a sorcerer who specializes in necromancy which is a branch of magic that involves controlling the undead," explained Arwrue.

"The young shaman is correct," said Faust. "And you all shall feel my power. _Vork manaus engona kivolk zon_." A bright red light show in Faust's paw as he said the incantation. The light lit up the entire room, causing the skeletons to glow a red color as the light touched them. After the spell was done, Faust went back into the skeleton and as soon as he did, the other skeletons in the room began to move.

The Ham-Hams stared in horror as the skeletons began be brought to life by the necromancer's spell. All of them broke out of the chains that held them and began to walk towards the Ham-Hams. Kana and Laura held each other in fright while Oxnard crouched down and covered his arms over his head, too scared to move. Meanwhile, the others were prepared to fight.

"Are you ready, Asakura?" asked Arwrue.

"Ready," answered Asakura. Everyone (except Oxnard) stared in amazement as Asakura began to enter Arwrue's body. Asakura's incorporeal body easily pasted into Arwrue's body and the two merged together as one and as a result, a strange power began to radiate from Arwrue. Arwrue then withdrew his sword and spoke in a voice that was layered in unison with his own and Asakura's voice. "Now, we will topple these goons." Then with extraordinary speed, Arwrue propelled himself towards the walking skeletons and then shattered at least five of them with just one swing of his sword. With a form of supernatural power the Ham-Hams had never seen before, Arwrue slashed and chopped up the skeletons with amazing speed and power. His sword glowed brightly as the magic of Arwrue's power went into the sword. They were all so amazed at this sudden display of power that they almost forgot to fight back as well until the skeletons were almost next to them. Terra used her psionic powers to telekinetically strike the skeletons, kind of like hitting the skeletons with invisible hands. From her staff, Mara conjured fire balls that knocked the skeletons over with large blasts of flames that knocked over neighboring skeletons. Jingle had cast a spell that enabled him to conjure a concentrated sonic blast just by plucking a string on his guitar. Despite all the spells that was going around and the damage caused by Arwrue's sword, the skeletons were not being destroyed. They kept reassembling themselves every time they were shattered by a sword or a spell and it didn't look they they were going to go down anytime soon.

Arwrue and Asakura were fighting together, merged as one thanks to Arwrue's shaman abilities. Since they were untied, they both shared not only a body but they also shared their minds as well and both were wondering how was these skeletons still becoming animated.

"Why are the skeletons not going down?" thought Arwrue/Asakura to themselves. From Asakura's half of memories, Arwrue/Asakura knew that in order for skeletons to rejuvenate like this, the necromancer has to some how be able to concentrate continuously so he can constantly reanimate the skeletons. In order to do that, he must have some kind of a physical body but what could he use when he's a ghost? Suddenly, an idea occurred to Arwrue/Asakura.

"He must be using his old body as the conductor," thought Arwrue/Asakura. Arwrue turned his attention to Faust's skeleton and sure enough, it was the only skeleton that wasn't moving. "If we could just shatter it, then the skeletons would be temporarily disabled." Arwrue charged towards the skeleton at fast speed, cutting down every skeleton that got in his way in seconds. With all the force he could manage, he struck Faust's skeleton with his sword, causing it to shatter into pieces. Without Faust's body to enable Faust to control the skeletons, the skeletons fell over to pieces with a loud clatter as they hit the floor. When Arwrue noticed Faust's bones beginning to reassemble themselves, Arwrue and Asakura separated and then Arwrue shouted, "Run!" Arwrue and Asakura ran through the nearby exit and the Ham-Hams followed them. Oxnard was too scared to move so Mara had to whack Oxnard a few times with her staff to get him to start moving. They all ran down the dark halls (while repeating "Badda-Badda") with only Jingle's glowing spheres following them and lighting their way.

They came to a stop in the middle of the hall so they could catch their breath.

"Wow, that was close," said Mara. "But thanks to Arwrue, we made it."

"But how did Arwrue manage to fight like that?" asked Laura. "I've never seen anyone move that fast."

"When Asakura and I merge together, we draw power and skills from each other, granting us the power of team work and combined power," explained Arwrue.

"Well I'm more curious as to where we are," said Jingle.

"I'll check the map," said Mara. Mara pulled out a map from her back pack and began reading through it.

"Well, do you know where we are?" asked Oxnard.

"It appears we're heading down a tunnel to another burial chamber," said Mara. "Give me a minute and I'll see if there's any short cuts to the main burial chamber."

"Well hurry it up, will you," said Oxnard who was still a little shaken out of his wits by the previous attack.

"Don't lose your head, Oxy, I'll figure it out," said Mara.

As Mara looked through the map, the Ham-Hams began to hear a strange noise coming from down the hall. The noise was that of skeletons walking along the stone floor of the hallway and heading towards the Ham-Hams.

"Oh no, not again," cried Oxnard.

"Everybody, run!" shouted Kana.

"No wait, I have an idea," said Mara. "There's a tunnel leading to the main chamber about a foot through this wall." Mara pointed at the wall to her left.

"But how do we get there?" asked Terra.

"Leave that to me," said Mara. Mara lifted her staff and pointed its stone at the wall. She then said the incantation. "_Volleo ungineia az zonya vock_." A bright light began to shine from the stone on the staff. From the stone, a beam of light began to come out of the tip of the stone and Mara used it to draw a mark in the mark. Mara ran the staff along the wall, drawing a rectangle on the stone walls. Mara then removed the staff and and suddenly, a tunnel appeared through the stone.

"Everyone inside," said Mara but before she said that, everyone was already going through the tunnel. They ran through the magically made tunnel, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran, until it ended at an entirely different stone hallway. Mara then used her staff to close the tunnel so the skeletons couldn't follow.

After that close call, the Ham-Hams continued their journey down the tunnel, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked. Eventually, they came to another burial chamber, much larger than the last one. The room was filled with stone caskets, each one contained the body of a long dead samurai.

"One of these caskets has a Caidoz piece inside it," said Mara.

"But how do we find it?" asked Laura. "We don't have to dig through corpses do we?"

"No, Mara and I can sense the Caidoz piece's power through the caskets," said Terra. Without another word of explanation, Terra and Mara began walking through the rows of casket with an open paw over the caskets, sensing any form of magical presence inside. Eventually, Terra found one casket which had a familiar magical presence inside.

"Mara, I found something," said Terra. The Ham-Hams gathered around the unmarked casket, excited and nervous about the discovery.

"How do we get this open?" asked Laura.

"We must push off the lid all together," said Mara. The Ham-Hams gathered onto one side of the lid and held onto it with both paws.

"Okay everyone, on the count of three, one, two, three, push," said Mara. They all said "Grooba" as they pushed the lid off the casket which created a loud echoing bang as the lid hit the ground. There were some gasps as they all got a look at the body. It was nothing but a rotten skeleton which wore an old and rusted samurai out fit. In the skeleton's paws was a Caidoz piece which reflected the light off of Jingle's glowing spheres.

"Is that the Caidoz piece?" asked Arwrue.

"Yes," answered Mara. "All we have to do is take that piece and get out of here." Mara reached into the coffin and then began to pull the piece out of the skeleton's grasp. Laura and Kana flinched in disgust as Mara pried the piece out of the skeleton's paws. Once freed, Mara turned to the Ham-Hams and held the piece proudly to them.

"There, we finally have it," said Mara. "Now all we have to do is get out of this creepy place and...What's wrong, Oxnard?" Mara was staring at Oxnard who was pointing to the coffin behind Mara and was shaking in fright.

"You okay, Oxy?" asked Kana. "You look like you have seen a ghost."

"Bingo," said Oxnard. Everyone turned their gaze in the direction of Oxnard's finger and gasped when they noticed the ghost of a samurai coming out of the coffin.

All around the Ham-Hams, ghosts were floating out of their coffins and hovering in the air. All of them were samurais who wore the traditional suits of armor and swords. The ghosts surrounded the Ham-Hams with their katanas drawn in a threatening position. The ghost whom the piece was taken from was the first to speak.

"You dare to take my treasure from me."

"Sorry, Mr. Ghost," said Oxnard in his panic. "We wont do it again, we promise."

"Pull yourself together, Oxnard," said Arwrue. "Asakura, do you think we can take them."

"We're hopelessly out numbered," said Asakura. "We can't take them all by ourselves. We need to find some way of driving them away.

"I know what we can do," said Mara. Mara lifted her staff over her head and said, "_Baunja gotla lockima zool teggen_." A bright light shown from the stone on top of Mara's staff. The light from the staff's spell caused the ghost to back away from it but that was all it did. When the light from the staff faded, Mara gasped. "Oh no, the spell's not strong enough for all of them."

"You think your magic is strong enough to defeat the honorless samurai, sorcerous," said the samurai. "You shall all die here like the rest of us and your spirits will suffer like we do." Asakura immediately merged into Arwrue and the two began to fight off the ghosts. Arwrue sent his power into the sword, making the sword capable of striking the ghosts but even with his great speed, Arwrue and Asakura knew they couldn't hold them back forever. Terra used her telekinetics to fight off the ghosts but she was also fighting a loosing battle. Terra and Arwrue was capable of holding them back for now but it wont be long before the ghosts will overpower them.

Meanwhile, Mara was trying to figure out how to drive away the ghosts. She knew she had to somehow enhance her spell in order for it to drive away all the ghosts. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her as she held the Caidoz piece in her paw. She remembered that the Caidoz pieces emit a bright light when activated and this light has got to have some kind of magical origin. If Mara could just activate the piece, she could use it's power to enhance her spell. Mara placed her paw on the piece and said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Nothing happened. Her zodiac sign did not match the sign on the piece. She decided to try the others but before she could, Arwrue's sword was taken from him and a chain was used to tie him up. Arwrue struggled against the large chains that bounded him but despite how old and rusted the chains were, Arwrue could not break free from the chains. The ghosts then surrounded the Ham-Hams, forcing them into a corner and holding their swords out at them.

"You shall all die one by one," said one of the samurai as he grabbed Laura by her arm.

"Help," cried Laura as she was dragged to one of the coffins. Laura was forced to lie on her belly on top of the coffin by three samurai who held her down while a fourth got his sword out ready to cut Laura's head off, execution style.

When she realized what they were going to do to Laura, Mara immediately gave the Caidoz piece to Jingle and said, "Quick, say the poem."

"Well, okay," said Jingle as he placed his paw on the piece. "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Instantly, the piece glowed a purple glow which lit up the room in its light. Jingle watched in amazement as a symbol engraved itself on the Caidoz piece. The symbol glowed the same purple light but Jingle could still see the symbol amongst the glow. The symbol resembled an arrow line with a perpendicular line running through one end. This sign was none other than the zodiac sign known as Sagittarius, Jingle's zodiac sign. Mara grabbed the piece while it was glowing and she immediately said an incantation. "_Nooga Nooga zogya on baunja gotla lockima zool teggen_." A purple colored light glowed out of the stone on Mara's staff and a wave of energy burst out everywhere like an explosion. It didn't harm the Ham-Hams or the surrounding environment but it did cause the samurai to be tossed out in all directions by the power of the spell. The samurai that was about to cut off Laura's head with his katana was swept away at the last minute and he and the other ghosts were shoved out of the room and vanished.

With the ghosts gone, the Ham-Hams got back onto their feet and were capable of breathing a sigh of relief. Arwrue was still bounded by the metal chains but he managed to break his way out of the chains. Afterwards, Asakura separated from Arwrue and said, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Arwrue.

"That was a close one," said Laura, rubbing her neck with her paw in a psychological response to having come so close to losing her head.

"Can we leave this place, please?" whined Oxnard.

"Okay, Oxy, lets get back to Soshi and out of this death trap," said Mara with a laugh. Without another word, the adventurers walked off to find the exit out of the crypt.

_Author's Note: The idea to include shamans in this chapter was inspired by the anime entitled "Shaman King." In honor of Shaman King, I snuck in two references to the show in this chapter. If you're familiar with Shaman King, see if you can find them._


	8. The Revenge of an Old Enemy

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 8: The Revenge of an Old Enemy

The Ham-Hams found their way out of Ikaruga and into the open air. The sun was going down at this time and the skies were growing dim as it made the transition to night. As the Ham-Hams came out into the open, they didn't realize that they were being watched. From a dark and dreary castle located several yards overhead where Ikaruga was located, a ham-ham was spying on them. From a tall tower in a dark castle, he watched the Ham-Hams through a long gold colored telescope. The ham-ham had orange and red stripes all over his body and he wore a belt with a sword in the belt's sheath. He also wore the same strange necklace as Arwrue's. This ham-ham's name was Agasha and he had been observing the Ham-Hams since they made their way to Ikaruga. Agasha watched curiously through the telescope. With an evil looking grin on his face, the ham-ham took his eye off the eyepiece of the telescope.

"So they survived the ghosts of Ikaruga," said Agasha. "What a shame. Oh well, they will meet their end soon enough. Although they wont be here in Rokugon for too long. I must act quickly." Once he said this, the quartz crystal on Agasha's necklace began to glow as he heard the voice of the spirit within.

"Don't worry, I have the perfect bait for Soshi," said Agasha to his necklace. The necklace glowed again in response. "The Ham-Hams? Don't worry, I have plans for them as well." The necklace glowed again as the spirit inside the stone talked to Agasha again in a voice that only Agasha could hear.

"Don't be suspicious of others," said Agasha. "We have everything under control and if this plan goes well, we will all get what we want." The crystal glowed again in response.

"Yes, I can't wait either," said Agasha as he grinned evilly. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for and nothing could stop him now.

After the Ham-Hams had dinner at Soshi's home, Soshi agreed to let the Ham-Hams spend the night there. The Ham-Hams were kept in three separate guest rooms: Oxnard shared a room with Jingle, Laura was with Kana, and Mara was with Terra. They slept on warm comfortable beds that was provided to them in the rooms. It was the best sleep they had in a while.

The next morning, Soshi was the first to wake up in the house. It was 6:30 in the morning and sun light was pouring through the window near her bed. She got up from under the covers of her bed to see her husband, Kitsu, sleeping soundly next to her. Not wanting to wake him up, Soshi crawled out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" quietly as she walked. As quite as a mouse (or a hamster), Soshi walked through the halls of her large home and into a nearby bedroom. The walls of the room she had entered was a light orange color with a carpet that was the same shade of orange. There was very little in the room save for a small dresser drawer, a small wooden chest filled with toys, and a baby's crib located in the corner.

Soshi walked over to the crib to find Kuni sleeping inside. Kuni slept soundly in her crib, wrapped in a pink colored blanket and a small white pillow. Soshi smiled as she watched Kuni sleep, standing there for ten minutes watching her before Kuni began to stir. Kuni stretched her arms and legs and gave off a deep yawn before opening her eyes and seeing her mother looking down upon her.

"Well hello, sleepy head," said Soshi kindly. "How's Mommy's little angel?" Kuni smiled and began reaching for Soshi as if wanting to hug her. With a smile, Soshi reached into the crib and picked up Kuni into her arms.

"Come on, I bet you want some breakfast," said Soshi. Kuni only smiled in response as Soshi carried her out of the room.

Soshi carried Kuni into the kitchen which was larger than most kitchens. Infact, it was almost as big as a restaurant's kitchen and inside there were at least six chiefs working on breakfast. The smell of cooking food filled the kitchen air which caused Soshi's stomach to growl in hunger. Ignoring her growling stomach, Soshi walked over to a large steel refrigerator. She opened the door and pulled out a bottle of baby formula, a baby bottle, and a small container of baby food. Juggling all this and Kuni in her arms, Soshi walked out of the kitchen and into the dinning room where (to Soshi's surprise) Mara sat at the long dinning room table.

"Mara, what are you doing here?" asked Soshi.

"I'm a light sleeper," answered Mara.

"So am I," said Soshi. "I often like to get up early so I can feed Kuni." Soshi carried Kuni to the table and set her and her breakfast down. "Could you hold her for a minute?"

"Sure, no problem," said Mara. Soshi gave Kuni to Mara so she could fill up the baby bottle with baby formula. Soshi poured a little bit of the formula into the bottle, screwed on the lid, and then took Kuni back into her arms. Soshi cradled Kuni in her arms as she placed the baby bottle into Kuni's mouth. Kuni eagerly drank the formula from the baby bottle.

"Aw, how cute," said Mara.

"I prefer to take care of Kuni myself," explained Soshi. "Despite how busy I am, I always find time each day to be mom."

"Well, you're a good mother for doing so," said Mara.

"Have you and Neteru ever thought of having kids?" asked Soshi.

"Actually, I became pregnant with our son, Kaiu, shortly after we returned from Halastia," said Mara. "Infact, I have a picture of him." Mara pulled out a picture and held it out for Soshi to see. In the picture was Neteru and Kaiu, the two of them standing in front of a small pond they had visited a few months ago. The two of them waving at the camera.

"This is your son?" said Soshi. "Aw, he's so cute and he looks so much like his father."

After feeding Kuni her baby formula, she was then placed into a high chair and a bib was tied around her neck so Soshi could feed her the baby food. As Soshi fed Kuni her breakfast (which was made up of mashed sun flower seeds and acorns), the two girls continued to talk about child rearing. Over time, the Ham-Hams began to gather around the table as the two mom's fed Kuni. It wasn't long before the entire table was filled with Ham-Hams who had sat around the table, watching the chiefs place the breakfast on the table. By the time everyone else had started eating, Kuni began to become reluctant to eat anymore. Realizing that Kuni was probably full, Soshi cleaned up the high chair and Kuni with a napkin.

"I'll put Kuni back into her room," said Soshi as she picked up Kuni from her high chair.

"No, I'll do it," said Kitsu. "You have some breakfast."

"Thanks, Kitsu," said Soshi as she handed Kuni to Kitsu. As Kuni was taken into her room by her father, everyone sat around the table to have breakfast.

On the table before them, there was a huge meal that was made up of sun flower seeds, acorns, strawberries, cherries, crackers, pancakes, and muffins. By the time breakfast was finished, the Ham-Hams laid back into their chairs with their bellies stuffed to the max.

"Oh, this is the life," sighed Oxnard.

"Those were good strawberries," said Kana.

"Yes, my chiefs pick them fresh everyday from our gardens," said Soshi. The only one who wasn't sitting at the table was Kitsu who had left the room after he had eaten. It was at that point that Kitsu came back into the dining room with his armor on. He walked up to Soshi and said to her, "Well, I'm off to the barracks to train the new recruits. Just give Kuni a 'good-bye' kiss from Daddy."

"Okay, I will," said Soshi with a smile. Kitsu leaned over to Soshi and kissed her "good-bye" before leaving, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as he did.

"We should probably get ready to leave, too," said Mara. "We got to pack up so we can leave and find the next Caidoz piece."

After breakfast, the Ham-Hams went into their rooms to pack their bags so they could continue their journey. Mara began stuffing her back pack with food and supplies while it sat onto the bed. Her roommate, Terra, was doing the same thing on her bed.

"It's too bad we have to leave so early," said Terra. "I was beginning to like this place." Mara turned her head towards Terra so she could answer her but when she did, she caught a glance of Terra from behind and noticed that she was missing a quill. It appeared the quill had broken off somehow.

"Terra, you're missing a quill," said Mara.

"I am?" asked Terra in surprise. "Oh yeah, I remember, I had accidentally broken off one of my quills when it got caught in one of the shields decorating the walls. I remember losing the quill in the hallway leading to the dining room and it must still be there."

"We can't just leave it there," said Mara.

"You're right, I better go down there and get it," said Terra.

"No, it's okay," said Mara. "I'm done packing so I can go down there and get your quill."

"Okay, thanks," said Terra. Mara closed up her back pack and then left the room to get Terra's quill.

Mara walked through the halls of the castle, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as she did, and as she passed a nearby door, she suddenly heard the sound of crying coming from behind the door. Mara placed her ear to the door and confirmed that someone behind the door was crying. Curious, Mara opened the door slowly, causing the sound of crying to be even louder in her ears. When Mara looked into the room, she realized that the room was a baby's bedroom and sitting on the floor next to Kuni's crib was Soshi who had both paws to her face and was crying loudly. Concerned, Mara walked up to Soshi, kneeled down to her eye level and asked, "Soshi, what's wrong?"

"Oh Mara, it's terrible," sobbed Soshi. "My precious baby's been kidnapped."

"Kuni's been kidnapped?" asked Mara in shock.

"Yes, the kidnapper somehow broke in through the wall and took Kuni," said Soshi through her sobs. Mara turned her head towards the only wall in the room that had a window and Mara noticed a round hole cut neatly into the wall. The hole was large enough to fit an entire ham-ham through it but what disturbed Mara more was the fact that the hole was so neatly cut, it was like the blade was cutting through soft butter. No tool could have done this without making a lot of noise. Only magic could have cut that hole in the wall. Turning back to Soshi, Mara asked, "Do you have any clues as to who had kidnapped your daughter?"

"Yes, the kidnapper left this ransom note," said Soshi as she broke into more tears. Soshi picked up a piece of paper from the floor and gave it to Mara. Mara read the note to herself and gasped.

"We got to tell the Ham-Hams," said Mara.

Mara quickly assembled the Ham-Hams into Kuni's bedroom. Oxnard, Jingle, Terra, Kana, and Laura all stood in the room, comforting Soshi who was beginning to stop crying but she was still upset and worried about Kuni. As they did, Mara stood in front of them and began to read the ransom note:

_Dear Soshi,_

_I have your daughter in my possession. If you want to see her again, you have five hours to reach my castle. You may bring your guests to the castle but no one else. If you bring someone other than what I had asked (such as your husband or your personal guards), then I will kill Kuni before you reach the castle._

_Signed Agasha_

The Ham-Hams could not believe their ears.

"This is awful," said Laura.

"We can't let him hurt poor Kuni," said Kana.

"Who is Agasha?" asked Terra.

"Agasha is a shaman of the Praying Mantis Clan," explained Soshi. "I don't know him too well but I do know he's had some brushes with the law."

"Why would he want to harm Kuni?" asked Oxnard.

"I don't know," said Soshi. "I hardly know the guy and I have no idea why he would want to do this to me."

"And why did he want us to come along?" asked Mara. "It sounds like he knows us."

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm not going to set around and let him harm my niece," said Jingle. "I say we do wait he says and go to him."

"What if it's a trap?" asked Terra.

"It just seven against one, how hard could it be?" asked Laura.

"I suppose you're right but I just have a bad feeling about this," said Terra. "My intuition says that there is something more to Agasha's plan than meets the eye."

"Well, we're not going to find out for sure unless we save Kuni," said Mara. "Who's with me?"

"We will," chorused Laura and Kana.

"I guess I will," said Oxnard.

"You know I'm in," said Jingle.

"So am I," said Terra.

"I'll do anything to save my daughter," said Soshi with determination.

"Then it's settled," said Mara. "We're going to save Kuni." The Ham-Hams shouted "Oopaa" as they cheered, thus beginning their rescue mission to save Kuni.

Everyone gathered their equipment and weapons and they all headed out to save Kuni. Soshi had put on her red colored samurai armor as well as the samurais' traditional weapons: the katana and wakizashi. The katana is a strong oriental sword and the wakizashi is similar to a katana but it is shorter. As part of the samurai tradition, both Soshi's katana and wakizashi were past down by her ancestors who in turn had past these swords to her. She held each of these two weapons in the sheaths on her belt as she walked with her companions to the castle where Kuni was held. Soshi didn't speak to them throughout the journey but instead kept her face sad and anxious. Mara couldn't help but feel sad for Soshi. If anything happened to Kaiu, Mara would just curl up and die with grief. Mara could only hope that they find Kuni and save her.

They climbed up the rocky hills of Rokugon, climbing high over the city and past Ikaruga towards the dark and scary castle located high above Rokugon. The sight of the dark, evil looking castle overhead caused shivers to run down Oxnard's spine.

"Oh, why couldn't Kuni have been kidnapped to a less scary castle," whined Oxnard. The Ham-Hams repeated "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked up the hill until they reached the huge doors to the castle. Up close, the castle looked even more scarier than it did before. The castle radiated a negative aura of some kind that literally chilled the Ham-Hams to the bone when they looked at it. Even the hairs on the back of Jingle's neck stood on end as he approached the foreboding castle. The stones that made up the walls of the castle were jet black and the design of the castle was gothic, kind of like something Count Dracula would feel comfortable living in. Several creepy looking gargoyles lined the rim of the castle, their blank stares turned down towards the ground, giving the Ham-Hams the feeling that the gargoyles' eyes were following them.

Soshi, who was the only one more afraid of losing Kuni than the scary appearance of the castle, walked over to the door and pushed it open. Soshi thought it was odd that the doors were unlocked, once again wondering if they were walking into a trap. The Ham-Hams repeated "Wasa-Wasa" as they quietly entered the castle. The interior was no more pleasant to look at than the exterior. The walls had the same black colored bricks which made the room seem completely dark despite the windows which had sun light shining down through them. The walls and floor were completely bare as if they had wondered into an eerie dungeon that's been abandoned for years. Along the walls was what appeared to be stone statues of some kind, each with large arms and legs and a huge masculine frame. The statues had large round expressionless heads which sat on top of their large shoulders. Soshi felt uneasy around the statues, so did Mara and Terra. Three girls kept their eyes on the statues, as they walked by them. Jingle was curious about the strange statues and he walked up to one of the statue in curiosity. He examined the statue's blank face, wondering what the statue might be for.

"Jingle, get back here," ordered Soshi.

"I'm just looking at the statues," insisted Jingle, "What harm could it do?"

As if on cue, the statue raised its hand and grabbed Jingle by the throat, holding him off the ground.

"Oh no, Jingle," cried Laura. Jingle gasped for air as his wind pipe was constricted by the huge hand that held him up. It was then that Mara realized that the statues must be magically animated into golems. The Ham-Hams gathered around Jingle, trying desperately to pry Jingle out of the golem before he suffocates. Meanwhile, Soshi had pulled out her two swords and was praying with the swords in her paws. As Soshi prayed, she began to awaken an ancient power that the samurai are famous for. This power is called Daisho and with it, Soshi could draw power and skill from her ancestors. Both her katana and wakizashi began to glow a bright red color as the spiritual power of Soshi's ancestors began to course through the weapons. Once they were fully energized, Soshi held the wakizashi in her left paw and her katana in her right. She then charged towards the golem with her swords held out and with one strike of her katana, the sword's power easily enabled it to slice the arm off of golem, causing both the arm and Jingle to fall to the floor. Jingle quickly managed to pull the golem's arm off of him and breathed in a deep breath once his neck was free from the golem's grasp.

Unshaken, the golem picked up its arm and placed it back onto the stump where it had been cut off. There was a glow of red light as the arm magically reattached itself to the golem. All around the Ham-Hams, the other golems were springing to life and each of them were walking towards the Ham-Hams in a slow but menacing advance. Mara raised her staff and said, "_Zennun macoh aun va_." A beam of light shot from her staff and it struck the chest of a golem. A hole was blown through the chest of the golem, causing pieces to fly out of its back but then the pieces began to reassemble themselves and repaired the injury as it fit back into the hole in the golem.

"These golem's can rejuvenate," said Mara. "This is not good." Wanting to try something different, Terra used her psionic powers to telekinetically manipulate the golems. Like a toy car being controlled by a remote, Terra linked her mind with the body of two golems, enabling her to manipulate them like a puppet. Using only the power of her mind, she managed to direct the two golems against two other golems. The golems under Terra's control grabbed a golem and was wrestling them with full strength. Since all the golems were equal in strength, the golems could not over power each other. However, Terra had to concentrate in order to maintain control and she could only control two golems at once and there were still four more golems that were heading towards them. Jingle was also concerned since none of his repel or enthralling spells are meant to work on golems.

The golems were getting closer, surrounding the Ham-Hams and blocking off their only escape.

"Oh, we're doomed," cried Oxnard.

"Pull yourself together, Oxy," said Kana.

"Jingle, can you some how mesmerize them with your music?" asked Mara.

"No, I'm not advanced enough to affect inanimate objects with no minds of their own," said Jingle.

"But what if we enhance the spell like I did with the Caidoz piece back in Ikaruga," suggested Mara.

"It could work but we need something even more powerful and more special than just have you enhance it for me," said Jingle. Mara wasn't sure what else she could use but then she noticed Soshi's swords which still glowed red from the magical enhancement created through Daisho. Suddenly, Mara had an idea.

"Soshi, your swords are powered by your ancestors," said Mara. "I bet they could enhance Jingle's spell enough to enable him to affect the golems."

"I don't know," said Jingle skeptically. "Could it really work."

"Why not," said Soshi. "They're your family too. Why wouldn't they be able to help you?"

"I suppose you're right, sis," said Jingle. "Lets do it." Jingle swung his guitar from his back to his chest while Soshi held out her swords so their power could be transferred to Jingle while he casts the spell. Jingle placed his paw on top of the swords and sang, "_Nooga Nooga zogya on halla haha hege onno aya_," The swords glowed brighter in response as Jingle performed the spell. Meanwhile, the golems had completely encircled the Ham-Hams and they were raising their fist in the air with the intent of striking them down with a devastating blow. Laura, Kana, and Oxnard placed their hands over their heads and ducked for cover. They all waited anxiously for the golems to strike but they didn't. To everyone's relief, Jingle's spell had worked. The golems were all paralyzed, even the ones under Terra's control were frozen in place, as stiff as statues once again.

"Wow, that was a close one," said Laura.

"Come on, we got to find Kuni," said Soshi. The Ham-Hams carefully squeezed out of the golems that surrounded them and they headed up the stairs to the upper floor.

The second floor of the castle was no more pleasant to look at than the first floor. The long hallway that lined the second floor had the same black brick walls as the first floor. The walls of the hall were bare and not a single artificial light source could be seen, leaving the morning sun light coming through the windows and the open doors as the only source of light in the hallway. The Ham-Hams stood at the top of the stairs with no idea whether or not to go to the north or south wing.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Laura.

"Well, there's an arrow right there," said Mara. "Maybe it's telling us where to go." Hanging on the wall in front of the Ham-Hams was an arrow that was drawn on a piece of paper. The paper was taped to the wall in front of the Ham-Hams and it pointed towards the north wing.

"Obviously Agasha has been expecting us," said Soshi.

"Then we better keep moving," said Mara. "We don't want to keep him waiting." The Ham-Hams walked in the direction that the arrow was pointing. They cautiously walked through the halls, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as they walked through the dark halls. They past through many of the open doors in the hallway, watching for any sign that Agasha may have left for them to follow.

Oxnard walked past one of the open doors when something caught his eye. Inside the room behind the open door were several potted plants that were as large as a hamster and sat in pots that seemed too small for them. On the rim of one of the potted plants was none other than a Caidoz piece.

"No way," said Oxnard. "You guys, I found a Caidoz piece."

"Heke?" said Mara in surprise. Without waiting for an answer, Oxnard ran into the room, followed shortly by Laura, Kana, Jingle, and Terra. The Ham-Hams repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran past a large statue near the wall and towards the potted plants. Oxnard picked up the piece from the pot and examined it.

"Wow, I can't believe the piece was here all along," said Kana. However, Soshi and Mara stayed behind near the door and from their position, they could see the plants beginning to move.

"Look out!" shouted Mara but it was too late. Before the Ham-Hams knew what hit them, the plants wrapped their vines around them, binding them in their grasp. Terra was about to use her telekinetics to free herself but before she could manifest the ability, the branches began to wrap themselves around her eyes and mouth, keeping her from speaking or seeing where to direct her telekinetics. The four adventurers were bound and gagged by the huge magical plants and they could not free themselves.

Mara and Soshi ran towards their friends with the intent of helping them but before they could get far, they heard someone say, "Stay where you are." Mara and Soshi froze in their tracks and turned their attention to their right where they heard the voice. At first, they didn't see anything but a large wooden board of some kind on the floor. Suddenly, right before their eyes, two figures began to materialize on top of the board as an Invisibility Spell was lifted. On top of the board was Agasha who glared at Soshi menacingly and next to him was a chopping block where Kuni lay.

"Kuni," said Soshi with joy. She was about to run to her baby but then Agasha pulled out his sword and held the blade to Kuni's neck.

"Take another step and I will slit her throat," warned Agasha. Soshi immediately stopped in her tracks, holding her ground and trying to maintain her composure. Soshi cast a worried glanced at Kuni who looked physically fine but her mother's intuition told her that Kuni was scared for her life.

"Hand over the baby, Agasha," threatened Mara.

"First, put down your staff and swords, then I'll remove my blade from her neck" said Agasha.

"We can't do that," insisted Mara.

"Then she dies," warned Agasha. "And if you dare to utter a spell, I'll kill her." There was a pause as Soshi and Mara weighed down their chances. Laura, Kana, and Oxnard helplessly watched, not sure of what might happen. With seemingly no other choice, Soshi threw her katana and wakizashi to the floor in front of her and Mara did the same with her staff.

"There, now will you let her go?" demanded Mara. An evil grin crossed Agasha's face as he said, "You two are far too trusting." Suddenly, without warning, Soshi and Mara felt four large hands tighten around their bodies. In their concern over their friends and Kuni, Mara and Soshi failed to pay any attention to the large statue behind them which was a golem. This golem was twice the size of the ones down stairs and it was made entirely out of iron. It had the same build and round faceless head as the stone golems. It had four large arms that clasped Soshi and Mara in an iron grasp that prevented them from escaping. The golem used two hands for each of the two ham-girls, holding them by the waist and chest. Mara was held mostly around the shoulders so the golem could cover her mouth with one finger, preventing her from saying any incantations.

Agasha laughed evilly at how easily he had the Ham-Hams contained.

"Did you really think you could defeat me in my own castle?" said Agasha. "This castle has been haunted for centuries and the power of the ghosts in this castle are under my control, allowing me to use my shaman powers to magically alter this house such as the animation of golems and plants. I've been waiting for you all morning and now that you are all here, I guess I should introduce to you all my honored guest and my newest spirit guide."

Agasha held up the quartz crystal from his necklace to his mouth and whispered something into the stone. Right before their eyes, a ghost began to come out of the stone like a cloudy mist. The ghost began to materialize into a shape and everyone gasped upon seeing the ghost. It was the ghost of a ham-ham samurai who was completely dark brown and had large oval shaped ears. He wore a red colored samurai suit with a katana and wakizashi attached to his belt. Soshi gasped in horror as she recognized the ham-ham as Tamori, the former daimyo of the Sun Flower Clan. Four years ago, Tamori had been Soshi's daimyo and he was the one who had helped her and her friends find the lost city of Ankorbak to find a way to restore the humans back to their human from. But Tamori betrayed them. He had used the Ham-Hams to find Ankorbak for himself so he could use the magical tools within Ankorbak to take over Rokugon. His plans was foiled, however, when Tamori had been eaten alive by a terrible monster that was inside the city. After Tamori had died, Soshi thought she would never see him again but yet here he was, the ghost of Tamori.

"I see you remember me," said Tamori to Soshi. "After so long, I'm going to have my revenge."

"Revenge? For what?" asked Soshi.

"For my death," said Tamori. "I had the power of Ankorbak in my paw but then you and your friends stole my destiny to take over Rokugon. Not only that, but I was eaten alive by that terrible beast. Oh, I still remember the pain of it all. You don't know what it was like for me when my bones were crushed as I traveled down the monster's esophagus and when I reached the monster's stomach, I had very little air and the digestive acid was eating away my flesh and armor. I survived in that stomach for about two minutes before I finally died and the anger I felt about having to die in such a horrible way has empowered me to linger after my death. When I learned that Soshi had been crowned the daimyo of the Sun Flower Clan, I was furious and ever since then, I wanted her to suffer a horrible death just like I did. Oh yes, you and your friends will die slowly and painfully but first..." Tamori pulled out his ghostly katana and held the incorporeal sword to Kuni's neck. "...she will die."

Soshi gasped in horror.

"You can't," plead Soshi. "She was born long after you had died, she had nothing to do with what happened."

"Oh but she's your baby," said Tamori. "Ever since I discovered that you were pregnant, I waited for nine months just so I could have a chance to have you watch your own child die right before your eyes."

"Please, don't do it," pleaded Soshi as tears began to stream from her eyes. "Do what you want with me but don't hurt her."

"Oh but I will because I had promised Agasha that If I reveal to him the location of Ankorbak he enable me to have my revenge on you," said Tamori. "As soon as you and your child are out of the way, Ankorbak and all of its secrets will be ours." Tamori entered Agasha's body and the two were united as one. Agasha let Tamori have total control of his body, allowing Tamori to pull out Agasha's sword, ready to commit the murder. Kuni began to cry softly as if she knew what was about to happen. Agasha/Tamori carefully aimed the sword and then raised it over his head.

The Ham-Hams closed their eyes, not wanting to watch. Then there was a loud "clang" sound. Fearing that the dark deed had been done, the Ham-Hams cautiously opened their eyes and gasped at the what they saw. Kuni was not harmed by Agasha's sword but what saved her was that another sword came of nowhere and ended up in-between Agasha's sword and Kuni, blocking the Agasha's sword a few millimeters from Kuni's face. Agasha raised his head and to his surprise, the one holding the sword was Arwrue, merged with Asakura. Agasha regained control of his body.

"You," said Agasha in a voice that sounded like his own over-lapped by Tamori's voice.

"More like us," said Arwrue in a voice that over-lapped in sequence with Asakura's voice.

"You should have never interfered," said Agasha.

"We will not let you harm this baby," said Arwrue.

"We will see about that," said Agasha.

Agasha immediately withdrew his sword and got into a fighting stance for a sword fight. Arwrue did the same. But instead of fighting, Agasha extended his paw to the board he was standing on and began to speak an incantation, "_Necmola vauc_." Suddenly, a strange ghostly power began penetrating the board, causing the board to levitate. Arwrue nearly lost his balance as the platform lifted off the floor, carrying Arwrue, Agasha, and Kuni with it. The board lifted high over the heads the the Ham-Hams, about even with the height of the golem. With Arwrue and Agasha out of reach, the two fought for the fate of Kuni.

As they fought, Mara was trying to wiggle out of the golem's grasp. She managed to work her mouth free and before the golem could cover her mouth again, Mara shouted, "_Virogon_." Instantly, Mara's staff teleported into her paw. Mara placed the staff against the golem's arm and then said, "_Rustogetona_," The spell was a Rust Spell and since the golem was made of iron instead of stone, the spell instantly rusted the golem's entire arm, causing it to fall to the floor into a pile of rusted dust. Mara then placed the staff against the arm and said, "_Rustogetona_." That arm too rusted away, freeing Mara from its grasp. The golem gave little reaction to the rusting arms and fortunately for Mara, the arms didn't rejuvenate. Seizing the opportunity, Mara placed the staff onto the golem's chest and said the spell again. This time, the whole golem rusted into the dust, freeing Soshi. Soshi immediately grabbed her katana and wakizashi which still laid on the ground. Soshi wanted to help Kuni but to her dismay, Kuni had been raised too far off the ground by the levitating platform for Soshi to reach her.

"Soshi, help me save the others," said Mara who was over by the plants trying to free the others. Telling herself that Kuni will be fine, Soshi ran over to the plants, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran.

"Don't worry, I'll cut them free," said Soshi. Through the power of Daisho, Soshi cut the plants to shreds with great ease and accuracy. Amazingly, she didn't even cut the Ham-Hams with her blade despite how closely Soshi was cutting the plants. Oxnard was the first to be freed and he was led to the side for safety. Oxnard immediately ran to a corner to get away from all the danger.

As Soshi began to cut the others free, Arwrue and Agasha were fighting on top of the platform. Arwrue proved to be a better fighter than Agasha who was becoming swamped by Arwrue's striking blade. Trying a more desperate move, Agasha ordered, "Tamori, give me 'The Bull Charge.'" With a burst of speed, Agasha charged forwards at Arwrue with his sword pointed towards him. With his sword, Arwrue block the attack but the force of the blow had pushed Arwrue backwards as the attack continued to charge. The force of the blow forced Arwrue and Agasha towards the chopping block where Kuni lay. The two shamans knocked Kuni off the table and into the air. Soshi had just freed Kana and Laura and was about to free Terra when she noticed Kuni flying through the air.

"Oh no, Kuni," shouted Soshi. Kuni was falling towards Oxnard who held up his paws saying, "I got her, I got her." Oxnard fell over backwards as he caught Kuni in his paws, saving Kuni from a bad fall.

Meanwhile, both Arwrue and Agasha had struck the ground hard. The force of the blow caused Agasha to lose control over Tamori and the two separated, leaving Tamori hovering in the open. Arwrue had managed to maintain his control, allowing him to seize the opportunity. Arwrue held up his quartz amulet and said, "_Jeggonna muzzy jega_." The quartz crystal began to glow as it began to draw Tamori towards it. Like a vacuum, Tamori was sucked into the stone.

"You can't contain me forever," said Tamori as he was sucked into the stone. "I'll be back." His threats were silenced as the last of Tamori was trapped into the stone. Agasha, now without his spirit guide, was powerless and he surrendered.

After freeing Terra from the plant, Soshi ran over to Oxnard who still held Kuni in his paws. Frightened by the attempted on her life, Kuni cried loudly as Soshi held Kuni in her arms. Soshi began examining the baby for injuries. Although Kuni was badly shaken, she was not physically harmed. Relieved, Soshi began to gently rock Kuni in her arms and softly cueing to her.

"Don't cry, sweetie," said Soshi softly to Kuni. "You're safe now. Mommy's here. Mommy's got you." Soshi took off her helmet and placed it to the floor so Kuni could more easily see her face. She held Kuni firmly as she gently cradled the baby in her arms. Soshi kissed Kuni on her forehead and then began to rub her face against Kuni's face in a sign of affection. Soshi repeated "Schmubby-Wubby" as she affectionally rubbed Kuni. Kuni stopped crying and began to smile as she felt the warmth and security of her mother's arms. Kuni lovingly returned the gesture, rubbing her face against Soshi's as if to say "I love you." The Ham-Hams smiled with joy upon seeing the loving gesture between mother and daughter.

However, Arwrue was too busy restraining Agasha to notice Soshi. He had Agasha pinned to the floor with one knee and a rope was being used to tie his arms, legs, and mouth. Asakura hovered overhead, making sure that Agasha was tied down properly. Soshi walked over to Agasha with a stern look on her face.

"Agasha, I hereby place you under arrest for unlawfully conspiring against a daimyo, kidnapping, attempted murder on a child, and consorting with an evil spirit," said Soshi like a police officer. "Arwrue, take him out of here."

"Yes, maim," said Arwrue as he picked up Agasha in his arms. As he walked out of the room, Soshi stopped him and asked, "Arwrue, how did you know where we were?"

"One of your cleaning maids found Agasha's ransom note in Kuni's bedroom," explained Arwrue. "She came to me and showed me the note."

"Well thanks to you, Kuni's alive and I am willing to tell the shaman council of your good deed," said Soshi. "They will certainly want to promote you."

"It is my pleasure to serve you," said Arwrue.

"And I thank you too, Asakura," said Soshi.

"Anything to save an innocent life," said Asakura.

"Well, we better get Agasha to the police," said Arwrue. "Good day to you, Soshi." Arwrue left the room with Agasha struggling in his arms and Asakura following behind.

Once Arwrue left, the Ham-Hams gathered around Kuni who was smiling and giggling in Soshi's arms despite the fact that she was nearly about to be murdered several minutes ago.

"Thank goodness she's all right," said Laura.

"You have a very strong willed child, Soshi," said Mara. "She was so brave in the face of danger like that."

"Yes, she will make a great samurai some day," said Soshi.

"And it was lucky that we found the Caidoz piece here as well," said Oxnard.

"But what I don't understand is how did the Caidoz piece end up here?" said Mara as she examined the piece that she held in her paw.

"Perhaps it was pure luck," suggested Jingle.

"Maybe, but how did Agasha knew we were after the Caidoz pieces?" asked Mara.

"Perhaps he's been spying on us or saw us come out of Ikaruga with the Caidoz piece," suggested Terra.

"Maybe," said Mara, unsure.

"Either way, we still have to activate the piece," said Oxnard.

"Good thinking," said Mara. "You can go first." Mara handed the Caidoz piece to Oxnard who placed his paw on top of it and then said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Upon completing the poem, the piece instantly glowed a green light that caught the attention of the Ham-Hams. Even Kuni seemed mesmerized by the green light. A glowing green symbol began to engrave itself onto the Caidoz piece. The symbol was a circle with horns drawn on top. This symbol was Taurus, Oxnard's zodiac sign. The piece stopped glowing, except for the symbol that had been placed on the piece. Curious, Kuni began reaching for the piece as if she wanted a closer look.

"No, no, Kuni," said Soshi. "That's not for you." She turned her attention to the Ham-Hams and said, "We better get her home before Kitsu comes home and worries about her." And with that, they all left the castle and walked back to Soshi's home.

Kitsu had found out about Kuni's kidnapping at work and was worried sick. He was very relieved to find out that Kuni and Soshi were okay and as a way of saying "thanks" to the Ham-Hams, he threw them a victory lunch. This lunch had more to eat than breakfast with all sorts of fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables decorating every square inch of the table. The food was so good, Oxnard had eaten so much that they had to carry him out of the dining room.

After lunch, the Ham-Hams packed up their back packs and were ready to make the long journey home. The Ham-Hams stood outside Soshi's front door while Kitsu, Soshi, and Jingle stood inside the door looking at the Ham-Hams outside. Kuni was held in Soshi's.

"Are you sure you have to go now?" asked Soshi.

"I'm sorry but we got to get home and deliver these Caidoz piece's back home," said Mara.

"Then I wish you luck on your quest," said Soshi.

"Bye-Q, Soshi, Kitsu," said Terra.

"And Bye-Q to you too, Kuni," said Mara as she tickled Kuni's belly, causing her to laugh.

"Aren't you coming with us, Jingle?" asked Oxnard.

"Well, Soshi is making me stay longer," said Jingle. "She even took my guitar away and wont give it back until I stay a little longer."

"Well, you've spent too much time away from home," scolded Soshi. "You're going to spend some time with this family whether you like it or not." Jingle groaned.

"Well have a nice life, you guys," said Mara.

"You too, Bye-Q," said Soshi. The Ham-Hams waved "good bye" as they walked away from the house and on their way home.


	9. Say “No” to Volcano

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 9: Say "No" to Volcano

Team Four was made up of Boss, Roberto, Travis, Stan, and Sandy. Boss was the one who obtained the clue from Neteru's bucket and it read:

_The Caidoz piece has been buried for years at the base of an active volcano called "Kakita Bogu."_

Since no one in the group knew how to get to Kakita Bogu on foot, Boss ran back into the Clubhouse to find some maps of Japan. After reading the maps, the Ham-Hams realized that Kakita Boju was not as far away as they thought and fortunately for them, Travis had been there before and was familiar with the area on the way to Kakita Bogu. With the thought of entering a dangerous active volcano on their minds, the team strapped on their back packs and began the journey to Kakita Bogu.

They spent two days hiking along the roads leading through the forests. They were heading south down the road, hoping to find the volcano by following the tourists who were on their way to the same location. Surrounding the road were miles of forest which provided the Ham-Hams with plenty of shade and reason to be watchful of birds who would want to eat them. The roads remained quite, save for the occasional car that drove by.

As they walked, Sandy and Stan began to argue amongst themselves. Practically from the beginning of the trip, Stan boasted he would find the next Caidoz piece before Sandy. Naturally, the two siblings began to argue over who would find the next Caidoz piece. After over a day of tolerating Stan's taunts, Sandy eventually gave up and decided to walk without a word, ignoring Stan. But Stan continued to annoy her.

"How about we make this challenge more interesting by throwing in a bet," said Stan.

"There is no challenge and there will be no bet," said Sandy who was fighting to hold back her urge to strangle her brother.

"Oh, you're just afraid you'll lose," said Stan. "Do you hear me? You're nothing but a big chicken." Stan put his paws to his hips and began flapping his elbows and clucking like a chicken. This childish display finally drove Sandy to the breaking point.

"Chicken, am I!" shouted Sandy. "Stan, When I get that Caidoz piece, I'm going to shove it down your throat." Stan was about to respond when Boss said, "Will you two cut it out. You guys have been arguing ever since we left home."

"Yes and it's driving me bananas," said Travis.

"I say we just ditch them on the side of the road," said Roberto. Knowing they were becoming a nuisance, the twins didn't say anything more as they walked.

Eventually they came to a campground which was crowded since it was summer. Throughout the campgrounds were tents of all types, sizes, and colors. The sounds of portable stoves, people setting up tents (or taking them down), and children playing could be heard everywhere within the active campground. Children were everywhere, obviously brought along by their parents, eagerly exploring the natural forest for themselves. All of the humans in the area made it difficult for the Ham-Hams to get around unnoticed. The Ham-Hams ran along the ground, repeating, "Badda-Badda" as they ran. They repeatedly hid behind plants, trees, and rocks, dodging the watchful eyes of the humans, especially from the children. There was one man nearby who was about to start a camp fire when he caught sight of the Ham-Hams running in front of his line of sight. He stared in amazement as the Ham-Hams ran by. When his wife saw him staring, his wife asked, "What are you looking at?"

"I thought I just saw five hamsters wearing back packs run by," said the man.

"Haha, very funny," said the wife skeptically.

Unaware of the man who had seen them, the Ham-Hams continued to travel through the campgrounds until Travis led them to an outdoor pool and a hot springs. Both were located on the outskirts of the campgrounds. The Ham-Hams stood on top of the stone wall surrounding the pools, watching the people swim in the pool and relaxing in the warm waters of the hot springs.

"If there's a hot springs, there must be a volcano," said Boss.

"Yep and the volcano is not far from here because I remember this pool from when I came here," said Travis.

"How do we get to the volcano from here?" asked Sandy.

"I don't remember," said Travis.

"Well that's great," said Roberto sarcastically.

"Well, why don't we ask that ham-ham over there," suggested Stan. He pointed to a small booth where a guard monitors the people entering the pool area and in the booth was a hamster cage with a hamster inside. The hamster had yellow colored fur with orange spots all over his body and he just sat there, seemingly admiring the forests around the area.

"Good idea," said Boss. "Lets ask him."

The Ham-Hams repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran to the booth, climbed up the side of it, and got onto the windowsill. The window to the booth was open, allowing the Ham-Hams easy access inside. They quietly squeezed their way from underneath the window so they could get inside. The man inside the booth was too busy monitoring the people coming into the pool area to notice the Ham-Hams. With the coast clear, the Ham-Hams approached the hamster inside the cage.

"Hamha," greeted Sandy who was the first to reach the cage. The hamster inside the cage was surprised to have visitors.

"Who are you?" asked the hamster.

"We're the Ham-Hams," said Sandy. "What is your name?".

"My name is Jake, what is it you want?" asked the hamster.

"We're looking for Kakita Bogu," explained Boss. "How do we get to it from here?"

"Oh that's easy," said Jake with a smile. "When you leave this pool area, turn right and travel up the road until you find a fork in the road that splits into three directions. There, you will see a sign that points to which road you will have to take in order to reach Kakita Bogu."

"Okay, thanks," said Stan.

"By the way, why are you going to Kakita Bogu?" asked Jake. "Are you going sight seeing?"

"Actually, we're after the Caidoz piece that resides inside the volcano," said Boss. Jake gasped in shock.

"You're going after the Caidoz piece?" gasped Jake. "Everyone who had tried to get that piece had been burned alive by the lava or had died from inhaling all the soot and ash. I'm telling you, don't do it. It's suicide."

"But we have to get it," said Boss. "The fate of the world depends on the retrieval of those Caidoz pieces."

"How could a strange piece of gold be that important?" asked Jake.

"It's hard to explain and we can't tell you anyway since there are others after the Caidoz pieces," said Travis. "Just believe us when we say that there is something very important about those pieces."

"Well, okay," said Jake skeptically. "Just be very careful. Don't go near the volcano if it's hot and looks like it's about to erupt and always wear something around your mouth so you wont breath in the volcanic ash."

"Okay, thanks for the advice," said Roberto as he followed the Ham-Hams towards the open window.

"Oh, and by the way, the piece is located inside a cave on the side of the volcano," said Jake as the Ham-Hams began to walk away. "Do be very careful because if the volcano erupts while you are inside the cave, you will be buried alive under molten rock." With an image like that being imprinted on their minds, the Ham-Hams left without a word.

The Ham-Hams couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be burned alive by lava. This thought lingered in their minds as they repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran towards the exit. Following the directions Jake had given to them, they found the fork in the road where Jake said it was. There were three wooden signs in the fork, indicating where each road led to. One sign pointed to the road on the right and is said "Kakita Bogu, two miles." The Ham-Hams gathered up all their courage and headed out to Kakita Bogu.

As they walked further up the road, they managed to climb up a hill and once they reached the top, they found the volcano in the distance. The volcano seemed still and quite with no smoke or lava coming out of its top. Volcano looked as tall as a mountain and it ad a jet black color to it, an indication that lava had been spilled along its surface recently.

"Wow, I never seen a real volcano up close," said Sandy.

"But how are we going to get inside?" asked Stan.

"Well, we're not going to find out until we reach that volcano," said Roberto.

"I agree, lets get moving," said Boss. Once again, the Ham-Hams had to work up the nerve to walk towards the volcano as Boss bravely led them towards the volcano.

With every step they took, the tension and heat began to increase. The air around the volcano was warm and humid and the heat was radiating from the rock itself. Once they were close enough to properly see the volcano, they could tell that there was some hardened lava still on the side of the volcano. The lava was black and hard but it was still hot and soft, making the walk around the lava treacherous. Taking Jake's advice, the Ham-Hams tied bandanas around their mouths in order to protect their lungs from the sulfur. They walked up the volcano in search of the cave Jake had spoken of. The heat from the hardened lava was intense, causing the Ham-Hams to sweat profusely.

Boss kept his focus on the location of the cave that Jake had spoken of. Eventually, he noticed what appeared to be a hole in the side of the volcano that was no bigger than the tunnels leading to the Clubhouse.

"Hey guys, I think I found the cave," said Boss. The Ham-Hams gathered around Boss to get a closer look.

"That certainly looks like the cave," said Roberto.

"I'm going in first," shouted Stan as he charged towards the cave but before he could get far, Boss grabbed him by the tail.

"This mission is too dangerous for you to be goofing off like that," said Boss. "You understand?"

"Yes, Boss," said Stan irritably.

"Good," said Boss. "Okay Ham-Hams, lets go in." With Boss in the lead. They walked single file into the dark cave.

Boss pulled out a small flash light from his back pack and he used it to allow himself to see in the dark cave. Inside the cave, there was nothing but darkness and heat. The temperature inside the cave was hotter than it was outside and this heat caused the Ham-Hams to sweat even more. Their fur clung to the sides of their bodies with sweat. To make the journey even more unbearable was the fact that the cave itself didn't have a flat floor to walk on. At first, they had smooth, stable ground under their feet to walk on but as they traveled further into the cave, the ground began to swerve and become bumpy. The cave tunnel became very small in some parts, making it hard to squeeze through the small openings. The floors rose or descended sharply and the shapes of the tunnels were erratic. It became so hard to navigate through the tunnels that they spent almost an hour wondering through that dark cave and the fact that the volcano grew hotter with every few inches they went didn't help much either.

"Ugh, If it gets any hotter in here, I'm going to collapse," said Travis.

"I don't think I can stand being here much longer, either," said Roberto.

"Come on, guys," said Boss. "We're bound to be..." Before Boss could finish his sentence, he suddenly tripped on a large rock and fell forwards. Since the tunnel was leading down, Boss rolled down the tunnel until he hit a dead end.

"Oh no, Boss," cried Travis. The Ham-Hams repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran to Boss. It was hard to see since the flash light (their only light source) lay on the ground next to Boss, facing a side wall of the cave.

"Boss, are you all right?" asked Travis as he and the Ham-Hams stopped in front of Boss.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Boss, trying to hid the fact that his muscles ached, his back hurt, and his skin throbbed from scrapping against the rock floor. Boss picked up his helmet and placed it back onto his head. He then picked up his flash light and as the light hit the end of the tunnel, something gold caught Boss's. The piece of gold that had reflected the light was none other than a Caidoz piece. To everyone's surprise, the piece was partially imbedded inside the rock. Thanks to the magical qualities of the piece, it was unharmed by the intense heat of the rocks and the years of being smothered in molten lava.

Excited, Sandy said, "Look, it's the Caidoz piece."

"But how are we going to get it out of the rock?" asked Stan.

"If Neteru was here, he would have used his magic to remove the piece," said Travis. Boss ran his paw along the rock that held the piece. As he did, he found the rock to be soft and brittle.

"This rock isn't too strong," said Boss. "I bet we can dig it out."

"Okay but hurry," said Stan. "I don't know how much longer I can stand this heat."

Using a pick ax and a shovel that Boss had been carrying, Boss and Travis began digging at the rock. Sure enough, the rock was soft enough to break off but the heat from the tunnel was quickly becoming unbearable. Travis held the pick ax but his sweat was causing his paws to be slippery and the pick ax kept slipping in his grasp. Despite the fact that they were sweating like crazy, Travis and Boss continued to vigorously pick at the rock. Boss gave the piece a strong whack with his shovel and suddenly, the Caidoz piece began to come loose. Boss gave the piece another good strike with his shovel and suddenly, the piece fell out of the rock and landed onto the cave floor. Boss picked up the piece and said, "I've got it."

"Great, now lets get out of here already," said Stan. Boss picked up the piece from the ground and placed it into his back pack. Without another word, the Ham-Hams made their way out of the volcano, eager to finally get out of the heat.

As they walked through the hot tunnels of the volcano, they began to feel earthquakes.

"What was that?" asked Roberto.

"I don't know but I got a bad feeling about this," said Boss. "My hamster intuition says that there is something dangerous going on here."

"Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this, too," said Travis. Suddenly, there was another earthquake, stronger than the one before.

"Hey, those earthquakes are getting stronger," said Stan who attempted to hide the fear from his face even though no one could see his face in the dark.

"Is it just me or is the cave getting hotter?" said Roberto. To everyone's surprise, the cave did get hotter, even the ground itself began to burn the bottom of their feet. The Ham-Hams began to dance as if they were walking bare foot on hot sand.

"What's going on here?" said Boss. "It's like I'm in an oven."

"Wait a minute, I remember Maxwell telling me something about this," said Sandy. "He told me that when a volcano is about to erupt, it will be signaled by a rise in the ground's temperature and earthquakes."

"So since the ground is getting hotter and the ground is shaking, that must mean that there's a volcano about to erupt," said Boss.

"Yeah, like this one," said Sandy. The Ham-Hams began to panic as they ran for the exit, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

They ran on all fours, running over through the many obstacles of the tunnel. With the heat of the volcano rising and the earthquakes becoming more frequent, the Ham-Hams were literally bounced against the walls in their desperate attempt to escape the volcano. Boss was in the lead, repeating "Daba-Daba" as he ran through the tunnel. He began to see a light in the distance, obviously coming from the exit to the cave.

"We're almost there," announced Boss. "Hurry, Ham-Hams." With every bit of speed he had, Boss ran towards the exit to the tunnel.

Boss was the first to come out of the cave entrance but what he saw afterwards, he was not prepared for. The volcano had indeed erupted and a river of lava was flowing down the side of the volcano. There was a river of fiery hot lava flowing on both sides of the cave, leaving the Ham-Hams with only one way to escape: forwards in-between the two lava rivers (divided by the cave entrance) before they become trapped. When Boss heard a loud bang from above. Boss craned his head towards the top of the volcano and from there, he saw a pillar of smoke and ash spewing from the volcano, as well as some molten blobs of rock that shot out everywhere. Boss also noticed that the lava around the cave had actually cooled, forming a temporary barrier which kept the lava from flowing into the cave. Boss thought that was odd but didn't have enough time to think about it as the Ham-Hams came out of the cave and into the open and Boss had to follow them.

The Ham-Hams ran away from the cave, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. The two rivers of lava that flowed along side of them were blisteringly hot and what was worse was that the lava was gradually closing in around them.

"We're going to be cooked," cried Sandy.

"Just run faster," said Boss but to their horror, the lava actually begin to merge at the foot of the volcano, surrounding the Ham-Hams and blocking their only escape from the lava.

"Oh no, we're cooked," cried Roberto.

"Not if I can help it," said Boss. "Everyone, run at full speed towards the lava and then jump."

"We'll never make it," said Stan.

"Oh yes we will," said Boss. Boss ran up to the lava at full speed and then he made a flying leap into the air, crying "Oopaa" as he jumped. He flew through the air and then he landed safely on the other side of the lava, saying "Daplunk" as he landed. Following Boss's example, the Ham-Hams leaped into the air. Sandy, Roberto, and Travis landed safely next to Boss but Stan had hesitated when he leaped into the air. Stan began to fall towards the lava, screaming as he fell, but before he hit the lava, Sandy pulled out her ribbon wand and, using it like a whip, she grabbed Stan by the tail and managed to pull him away from the lava. Stan landed hard on the ground.

"Ouchichi," said Stan as he hit the ground.

"Lets get out of here, Ham-Hams," said Boss although he didn't need to say it since everyone was running away all ready. Boss followed them and they headed back into the forest.

The Ham-Hams stopped at a clearing located far away from the volcano. Even from this distance, the volcano and the smoke and lava coming from it was still visible but at a safe distance none the less. The Ham-Hams removed the bandanas from their mouths so they could breath. They all sat under the shade of a nearby tree, giving their legs a well deserved rest.

"That was a close one," said Roberto, out of breath.

"I'll say," agreed Sandy.

"Now that we have the Caidoz piece, we better activate it," said Boss. "Who wants to go first?"

"Why don't you go first, Boss," said Travis.

"Yeah, you did save us back there," said Roberto.

"Well, okay," said Boss. He removed the Caidoz piece from his back pack, placed his paw on top of it and said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." As before, the Caidoz piece immediately reacted as its power was revealed. The piece glowed a blue light, lighting up the area with its glow. Right before their eyes, a glowing blue symbol engraved itself upon the piece. The symbol looked like an "M" with a loop going through one side. This symbol represents Virgo, Boss's zodiac sign.

Once the Caidoz piece stopped glowing, Boss placed the piece back into his back pack.

"Okay, now that we have one of the pieces, what are we going to do next?" asked Roberto.

"I don't know," admitted Boss. "Let me check the next clue." Boss reached into his back pack and pulled out a piece of paper. The next clue on the paper had the following written on it:

_Within the Gobi forest on the island called Halastia, rests a mysterious pyramid. This pyramid is known by many names but most just call it the "Crystal Pyramid." Inside is rumored to be loads of gold as well as a Caidoz piece._

"Wow, if we get our paws on that gold, we could be rich," said Roberto.

"We are not after gold, we are after the Caidoz pieces," said Travis.

"But how are we going to reach Halastia?" asked Stan.

"I guess were going by ship again," said Boss.

"Oh but I don't want to walk all the way to the docks," whined Stan.

"If you want to stay here, you can," said Boss.

"Yeah, just good luck finding your way home," said Sandy as she and the others got back onto their feet and began to walk off, leaving without Stan. Stan just sat there, not sure if they were serious but when they began to move out of sight, Stan said, "Wait, I'm coming" and ran up to his comrades on their way to Halastia.

_Author's Note: There is no such volcano called "Kakita Bogu" in Japan. I made it up._


	10. The Crystal Pyramid

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 10: The Crystal Pyramid

_Author's Note: Regrem Erutaerc had asked me why doesn't the hamans change into their human forms and carry the Ham-Hams to their destinations rather than taking the time to walk there in their hamster form. This is a question that I've been wondering about myself and I've been thinking up some reasons for why they would stay in their hamster forms. For one, they are not horses. Humans can't hike for hours at a time without rest and sustenance and humans use up a lot food and water compared to hamsters. The hamans can't just change into a hamster and back again every time they need food or water. It would be exhausting, not to mention redundant. They would need to stay in one form throughout the trip and have enough food to sustain their bodies. To carry their food, it would have to be inside a human sized back pack but in order to carry it, the hamans must remain in a human form the whole time until they reach their destinations since large equipment can't change with them when they change forma. Even if the hamans do manage to carry enough food to support their human bodies the whole trip, they would have to change into their hamster forms when they reach any kind of hamster settlement, leaving the large back packs behind since they could no longer carry them in a hamster form. Their back packs would have to be left unattended in the open where who-knows-what could happen to them. They could remain their human forms so they could carry their back packs into the city but that would have the same affect as Godzilla going through Tokyo. Not to mention they would never be able to buy enough food from the local ham-ham grocery stores to support a human on the return trip home._

_ Also, hamsters are more inconspicuous than a human in public. A hamster is small and indistinct while a human is more noticeable and more likely to be delayed by another who wants to harm them or know where they were going. In the forests, hamsters are not as bounded by natural obstacles as humans. Humans can be delayed by rivers, plant-life, and steep hills but hamsters can more easily avoid those obstacles. They can squeeze through crowed plants, climb over branches and fallen logs to get across rivers, and since they are not as tall or as heavy, hamsters are not as affected by steep terrain as humans. Not to mention ham-ham dominated cities are often located in places that are geologically impossible for a human to get to on foot. I hope this information was clear and now that is out of the way, lets begin chapter 10._

Team Four walked endlessly through the forest for over a day until they finally reached the docks where they could get a ship to Halastia. Like teams two and five, Team Four got the chance to relax in a ship and rest their tired feet. While on the ship, the bitterness that developed between Sandy and Stan was brought up again between the two of them and by the time they had reached Zolphville, they began arguing again. While on the bus that was going to the Gobi Forest, Stan once again brought up how he would find the next Caidoz piece and Sandy interjected to that remark. They argued until they reached a neighboring town called Sojo.

Sojo is a small town located in the wild forests of Halastia. Because of Halastia's small size, the island doesn't have too many forests or trees. Since the trees were too large for the ham-hams to cut down, they simply left the trees where they were and built towns inside and around the trees and Sojo is one of those towns. The sight of all the small houses and roads located around tall trees was rather strange to the hamans but fortunately, they were used to the idea of being so short.

To find the Crystal Pyramid, they checked at a local outdoor supply shop, asking for how to find the pyramid and information about it. According to a cashier at the shop, he told them that the pyramid was built long before ham-hams started building cities on Halastia. No one knows for sure how or who but it is known that Halastia was inhabited by ham-hams before Halastia was created. Apparently there were some ham-ham priests and priestesses who lived on the island before Neanna and Bocka were banished to the Astral Plane. It isn't clear who they were or why they did it but they constructed a large pyramid. The pyramid wasn't build with a name from its creators but the archeologists who discovered the pyramid called it the Crystal Pyramid because the pyramid looked like it was made out of crystals. Boss thanked the cashier for his help and he and his companions went out to begin their journey to the Crystal Pyramid.

Boss led the team through the forest in search of the Crystal Pyramid. Luckily, the forest was not as large as the ones they had been walking through so it didn't take more than an hour to find the pyramid. Also, there was no wild animal-life that could harm them. The Ham-Hams repeated "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked through the forest until they came across what they were searching for: the Crystal Pyramid. As the cashier had told them, the pyramid did look like the exterior was made out of quartz crystals that shined in the sun light. The pyramid looked transparent but underneath all those clear stones was a solid stone-gray pyramid which was hard to see clearly through the quartz crystals. The pyramid was larger than the Ham-Hams, towering over them almost as large as the trees themselves. On the front of the pyramid was what appeared to be a stone door that was made out of some kind of a sand stone. Boss walked over to the door and began to pull on what appeared to be a door handle. Boss said "Grooba" as he pulled on the handle but the door did budge an inch.

"Hey guys, don't just stand there, help me get this pyramid open," said Boss. The Ham-Hams immediately gathered around the handle and began pulling on it, repeating "Grooba" as they did. The heavy door slowly swung open and once it had been opened wide enough, the Ham-Hams let go of the handle and rested there arms from all the strain.

"Wow, that was a lot of work," said Roberto panting. As soon as the throbbing stopped in their arms, the Ham-Hams then proceeded into the pyramid, awaiting whatever was inside....

The tunnels inside the pyramid were cramped and dark, allowing very little light inside the tunnel. Boss was in the first to enter the pyramid, followed by Roberto and Travis and behind those two were Stan and Sandy. The only light source was coming from the open door that they had come in through and what little light that flowed through that door revealed that the stone walls on both sides of the Ham-Hams were covered in mysterious symbols and hieroglyphs.

"I can't see anything in here," complained Roberto. "It's too dark."

"Everyone, pull out your flashlights," said Boss. Everyone reached into their back packs and pulled out a flashlight. The dark of the tunnel was illuminated by the light of small flashlights that lit up the area.

"Okay, everyone follow me and stay close," said Boss. As they traveled deeper and deeper into the tunnel, the light began to fade from the door, leaving only the light of their flashlights to guide the way.

As they walked, Stan stepped on Sandy's foot.

"Ow, you did that on purpose," said Sandy angrily.

"I did not," interjected Stan.

"Were you trying to break my foot so you could get to the Caidoz piece before me?" said Sandy.

"I didn't step on your foot on purpose," interjected Stan, his anger rising. The two stopped in the middle of the hall, arguing with each other. The other Ham-Hams ignored those two as they continued walking but in the dark, they didn't notice that there was a crease on the floor. If they did, they would have known they were walking on a trap door. Without warning, the trap door opened and both Boss, Roberto, and Travis fell into the trap door, screaming all the way down. Sandy and Stan broke away from their argument in time to see their comrades fall through the trap door. Sandy and Stan ran over to help them but the trap door immediately closed automatically. Sandy ran to the trap door and began jumping on top of it in an attempt to get it open but it wouldn't budge. Stan joined in but even their combined weight could not open it.

"I don't understand, why isn't it opening," said Stan as he stopped jumping.

"I don't know," admitted Sandy. "I guess it only opens when a certain amount of weight is put on it. I think we may need a third person."

"But we don't have a third person," pointed out Stan. "We're all alone."

"Now don't panic, bro," said Sandy. "Lets just stick together and try and find the Caidoz piece. From there, we maybe able to find out what happened to Boss and the others."

"Aw man, I'm so not going to like this," said Stan.

The two siblings aimed their flashlights towards the end of the tunnel and saw what appeared to be a wooden double door at the end. Curious, the twins walked over to the door, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as they did. The door was painted a dark purple color and it had the same strange markings as the ones on the wall. Sandy placed a paw on the door and pushed on it but it didn't budge. Sandy placed her flashlight in her mouth so she could push on the door with both paws but the door still wouldn't move.

"San, hulf we," said Sandy through the flashlight in her mouth.

"What?" asked Stan. Sandy took the flashlight out of her mouth and said, "I said help me push this door open."

"That's not going to work," said Stan. "Look, it's as heavy as a rock." To demonstrate his point, Stan placed one paw on the door and then leaned on it with one paw, showing that the door was too strong, even against Stan's weight.

"We have to save the others and if we're going to do that we have to work together," said Sandy.

"I don't need your help," said Stan. "I can get into this pyramid all by myself."

"Why you selfish little ham," said Sandy angrily. "Well if you're not going to help me push this door open, then I will do it myself!" Sandy pushed on the door again but what happened next, she didn't expect. With the combined weight of Sandy pushing on the door and with Stan still leaning on it at the same time, the door suddenly swung open and the two tumbled out into the next room.

The two got back onto their feet, a little bruised and scrapped after hitting the floor so hard.

"What happened?" asked Stan.

"I guess our combined weight caused the door to swing open," said Sandy. Realizing that the room they were in was lit, they put away their flashlights and examined the room. The room was lit by torches that hung along the walls. What kept them lit or who put them there was a mystery. The room was made out of stone and was rectangle in shape. In the dim light, Stan and Sandy could tell that they were standing on some kind of a stone platform or pillar that was overlooking what appeared to be a pool of acid. The green substance down below gave off a soft eerie green glow and it bubbled and fizzed with life. In front of the pillar Stan and Sandy was standing on were rows of stone pillars that led all the way to the other end of the room where the exit out of the room awaited.

Curious, Stan pulled out a sun flower seed shell from his back pack and tossed it into the green substance. Upon hitting the acid, the seed shell immediately burned away from the acid, dissolving it into nothing.

"I guess that rules swimming out of the question," said Stan.

"Hey bro, look at this," said Sandy who pointed back a the door where they came in. Next to the door was a sign that read:

_A duo who steps up to a pillar will avoid a lunge. A single who steps up to a pillar shall take the plunge._

"I think it's a riddle," said Sandy.

"Who cares about some riddle?" said Stan.

"But the riddle may have something to do with getting across the acid," said Sandy.

"How hard can it be, we can just hop across the pillars," said Stan. "Look, I can show you it's easy." Stan began to run towards the pillar.

"Stan, don't," said Sandy as she ran after him. Stan shouted "Oopaa" as he leaped into the air and landed right on top of the pillar easily but the second his feet touched the pillar, the pillar immediately began to sink under Stan's weight, sinking into the acid. The pillar sank, carrying a surprised Stan with it. In an attempt to save her brother, Sandy grabbed onto Stan's paw but when she did so, she immediately fell over the side of the ledge she was standing on, falling towards the acid as well. Sandy landed on top of the pillar just before the pillar submerged itself entirely in the acid and when Sandy hit the top of the pillar, the pillar immediately stopped sinking and began to rise out of the acid. It didn't move as fast as it had fallen but it quickly rose out of the acid until it was back to its original height.

Shaken by the near-death experience, Stan said, "What just happened?"

"It looks like the pillar started rising when I got on top of it," said Sandy.

"Heke?" said Stan. "You mean it just rises when it gets more weight and falls when it gets less. That doesn't make sense."

"That's true, unless..." said Sandy. She stopped her sentence when she realized something. She replayed the poem in her head and it was then that she realized how the poem related to the pillars.

"Wait a minute, the poem said that if a single person were to stand on the pillar, they would take a plunge but if two people were to stand on the pillar, they would avoid that fate," said Sandy. "That means that if we just stand on the pillar tops together, the pillars wont fall to the acid."

"But if one of us steps off the pillar, we would fall," interjected Stan.

"Then we'll step on the next one together," said Sandy.

"And what if this doesn't work?" asked Stan.

"Just trust me," said Sandy as she grabbed Stan's paw. Nervous, Stan got himself into position to jump.

"Okay, on the count of three," said Sandy. "One, two, three!" The two shouted "Oopaa" as they leaped into the air, paw in paw. The two landed on top of the pillar and, with great relief to the twins, the pillar did not fall into the acid. Feeling more confident, the twins leaped from pillar to pillar until they finally reached the other end of the room.

"Yes, we made it," said Stan as he reached the door to the next room.

"I told you those riddles were important," said Sandy. "Now I think someone owes someone an apology." Defeated, Stan said, "Alright, I'm sorry, sis."

"That's better," said Sandy. Without another word and with a triumphant smile on her face, Sandy went into the next room, followed by Stan.

The next room was also lit by torches and made out of the same stones as the ones that made up the other rooms. The ceiling was high over their heads and on the other side of the room was the exit. On opposite sides of the room, there were these green triangle shapes which looked like separate bricks in the wall.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything dangerous in here," said Stan.

"Neither did the other room," pointed out Sandy.

"The room looks solid, though," said Stan as he walked over to the middle of the room. He began jumping on the ground as if to test it for trap doors. When he found none, he spread out his arms as if to show to his sister that there is nothing to worry about. Rolling her eyes, Sandy walked to her brother and when she reached the center of the room, the door they came in through instantly closed shut.

"Hey, what the..." said Sandy in surprise. The twins repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran over to the door. They tried to open it but the door had no handle and it wouldn't budge when force was applied.

"Oh this is just great," said Stan. "We're locked in."

"Now don't panic, Stan," said Sandy. "We still haven't tried the other door." The twins went to the other door which also had no handle and it couldn't be pushed open.

"Great, now we're going to run out of air in here," said Stan.

"Wait Stan, there's a riddle by the door," said Sandy, pointing to a stone sign next to the door.

"Great, another riddle," said Stan. Sandy observed the sign which said:

_To open the door, put both paws on the triangles._

"Strange, it says we have to put both paws on some triangles," said Sandy.

"It must mean those two," said Stan as he pointed towards the two triangles located on both sides of the room.

"Worth a shot," said Sandy. Stan ran over to one of the triangles and placed a paw on it. When nothing happened, he quickly noticed that the triangle stone was not cemented into the rock like all the other bricks. Curious, Stan began to push on the triangle and sure enough, the triangle was pushed into the wall like a button. When the button was pushed all the way, he said, "Problem solved."

However, their problems were not solved for at that minute, the twins began to hear a strange rumble coming from the ground.

"What's happening?" asked Stan.

"I don't know," said Sandy. Suddenly, they began to hear a strange scraping sound which sounded like rock rubbing against rock. The twins craned their heads towards the ceiling and to their horror, the ceiling was coming down on top of them in an attempt to smash them like bugs.

"Well this is just great," said Stan sarcastically.

"Well, push it again," shouted Sandy. Stan hit the triangle shaped button again but the ceiling kept coming down.

"What are we doing wrong?" asked Stan. Sandy tried to run the riddle through her mind again.

"'To open the door, put both paws on the triangles,'" said Sandy, quoting the riddle. "That's it, we have to push both triangles to open the door."

"But where's the other triangle?" asked Stan.

"It's on the other side of the room," said Sandy pointing at the other side of the room.

"But I can't reach it from here," said Stan as he reached uselessly towards the other triangle to demonstrate his point.

"Then the two of us has to push the triangles at the same time," said Sandy as she ran over to the triangle on the other side of the room, repeating Badda-Badda" as she ran. The ceiling was so close to them now that they could touch it with their paws. With only seconds left to save themselves, Sandy push her paw on the triangle and said, "Hit the button, now," Stan pressed against the triangle the same time as Sandy and instantly, the exit out of the room swung open but the ceiling was still coming down. Stan and Sandy immediately got on all fours and ran towards the door as fast as their little legs could carry them. It was a close call but they managed to squeeze under the ceiling just before it struck the floor with a loud bang.

Both Stan and Sandy laid on the floor, gasping for air from the strenuous workout they had to perform.

"That was a close one," said Stan.

"I agree," said Sandy. For a while, the twins laid on the stone cold floor, looking up at the ceiling. As they laid their, the twins heard what sounded like water nearby.

"Hey bro, did you hear that?" asked Sandy who sat up.

"Yeah, it sounded like water," said Stan as he sat up. Curious, the two Ham-Hams walked towards the sound, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked. The room they were in was connected by a stone hallway made out of the same stones as the previous rooms. Following the sound, the twins walked through the hallway.

Upon reaching the hallway's end, they found the source of the noise which was coming from an indoor river of some kind which slowly and gently flowed along a current. Floating on top of the river was a strange wooden boat. The boat was long enough for the two of them plus at least three more. On the front seat of the boat was what appeared to be peddles of some kind located near a seat where a ham-ham could push the peddles with their feet. Located on the other end of the boat was what appeared to be a wooden steering wheel located on top of a long pole. On the back of the boat was what appeared to be a crude metal propeller used to move the boat through the water. The boat was painted with the same decorations and symbols as the ones seen along the walls of the tunnels. Sandy examined the boat curiously before sitting in the front seat. She placed her feet on the peddles and when she started pushing the peddles, the propellers started moving, pushing the boat forwards. Stan quickly grabbed the boat and held it still.

"So I guess someone has to propel the boat using these propellers," said Sandy. "But what's the steering wheel for?"

"Obviously for steering," said Stan.

"But I can't reach it from here," said Sandy as she reached for the steering wheel that was on the other end of the boat. Sandy tried leaning as far as she could without taking her feet off the peddles but the boat was so long, she just couldn't reach it. Curious, Stan sat down on the seat near the steering wheel and he effortlessly turned the wheel.

"This is so weird," said Stan. "Who would build a boat that requires you to sit in one seat to work the propellers while sitting in another seat to work the steering?"

"Perhaps it's intended for two ham-hams," suggested Sandy. "One should do the steering while the other dose the peddling."

"What?! That's ridiculous," said Stan.

"Well, lets give it a try," said Sandy. Reluctantly, Stan decided to play along with Sandy's plan.

The twins took off their back packs and placed them in the middle of the boat. With Stan on the steering wheel and Sandy working the peddles, they slowly began to work their way through the small river. The river flowed through a narrow tunnel which made it difficult for Stan to maneuver through. Twice, he had accidentally rammed the boat on the sides of the wall.

"Careful, Stan," said Sandy. "I don't want to have to swim in this water."

"Give me a break, I'm still trying to get used to this thing," said Stan. After awhile, Stan began to get the hang of working the steering wheel, easily moving the boat through the gentle stream.

"Hey, this isn't so hard," said Stan.

"Yeah, I can keep this up for hours," agreed Sandy as she worked the peddles. However, Sandy spoke too soon because at that moment, the water began to move faster. The further down the tunnel they went, the more sharp twists and turns they encountered and the calm and gentle river was beginning to turn into rapids.

Stan frantically worked the steering wheel in an attempt to maintain control but the twisting tunnels and the flowing river was making it hard to maintain control. The boat repeatedly hit the walls over and over again, scraping the sides and causing the boat to splinter.

"Whoa, how do you stop this thing?" cried Stan. Sandy was vigorously working the peddles backwards in a desperate attempt to slow down the boat. Although the boat was slowing down, it was not enough to enable Stan to better control through the moving water.

"Can't you slow this boat, sis?" asked Stan.

"I'm trying," said Sandy who was getting quite a workout from pumping those peddles. The tunnel made a sharp turn and from around the corner, Stan and Sandy were terrified to see that they were heading towards a downward moving slope. It wasn't going strait down like a waterfall but was a steep slope none the less.

Sandy began to panic as she saw themselves approaching the slope.

"Hang on to something, bro," shouted Sandy. The twins held onto their seats for dear life as the boat went down the slope. The twins screamed as the boat slid down the slope like a large water slide. Stan kept one paw on his seat and another on the steering wheel in a futile attempt to direct the boat which continuously rammed the sides of the tunnel. Sandy didn't even bother to peddle, she just kept her feet still and firm while her paws gripped the sides of the boat. The boat hit the foot of the slope in a large splash which drenched the two Ham-Hams. Stan and Sandy hoped that the worst was over but hope was not on their side because they had entered an even larger tunnel with even worse rapids.

It was almost like they were canoeing only this time they had little to hold onto. Sandy tried to slow down the boat by peddling backwards but even she couldn't fight the strength of the current. There were large rocks in the way of the river, causing the waves to toss the boat about, nearly throwing the twins out of their boat. They held onto their seats as best as they could but their bodies were being drenched and their wet paws could barely hold onto their seats. One big wave knocked the boat clear out of the water and it landed with a big splash. The boat did not capsize but it did toss Sandy into the air.

"Help me, Stan," cried Sandy as she flew through the air and hit the water.

"Sandy," cried Stan in horror. Completely forgetting that hamsters can't swim, Stan jumped into the water to save his sister.

Upon submerging himself in the water, Stan was immediately picked up by the strong current which mercilessly tossed him about. Stan managed to reach the surface of the water so he could breath but the current kept forcing him down. He took in a large breath and frantically searched for Sandy. He saw Sandy who was bobbing on the surface nearby, unconscious.

"Hang on, sis, I'm..." said Stan but before he could finish his sentence, a wave pushed him back down under. Fighting desperately against the water, Stan attempted to swim to Sandy but he could fight the strength of the water as it kept holding him down. By out of pure luck, the boat floated over to Stan who grabbed the side of the boat and quickly climbed into it. Quickly, Stan climbed into the seat where the peddles were. He knew he couldn't swim to her so he had to use the boat's propellers to catch her.

He sat down on the seat and using the peddles, he began working the propeller. Since he was attempting to move with the current instead of against, the effort of working the peddles became easier. Stan's plan worked. As intended, the boat actually accelerated thanks to the speed of the current and the power of the propellers. However, since there was no one to work the controls, Stan had to allow the boat to sway in random directions and collide with the walls. Sandy's body still floated on top of the water but Stan feared she may get pulled down at any minute. Once he was close enough to her, he immediately ran to the seat where the steering wheel was and steered the boat to Sandy. A wave pushed Sandy under the water but Stan was close enough to reach out and grab Sandy's paw. With all his strength, Stan pulled Sandy into the boat.

Sandy laid on the bottom of the boat, dripping wet and still not moving.

"Come on, sis, wake up," said Stan desperately. Before he could attempt to revive her, the boat hit another wave. Stan immediately laid on top of Sandy and held onto the sides of the boat in an attempt to prevent Sandy and himself from falling out of the boat. Stan held onto his sister with all his might as the boat tossed about haphazardly through the rapids. Stan soon got the fright of his life when he lifted his head up to see where he was going and saw that he was heading towards a waterfall. Stan held on for his dear life as the boat plummeted off the waterfall and then strait down.

Stan screamed as he and Sandy fell towards the lake underneath the waterfall. The boat smashed into pieces as it hit the water while Stan and Sandy managed a hard landing on top of the water. Dazed by the splash, Stan swam up to his sister and then attempted carry her to shore. Luckily, the water wasn't that deep so he didn't need to swim that far. He dragged Sandy's limp body onto the shore and when he did, he knelt down to Sandy and began shaking her shoulders.

"Come on, sis, don't leave me like this," said Stan in desperation. Sandy groaned in pain as she opened her eyes and through her dazed vision, she saw Stan looking over here.

"Sandy, are you all right?" asked Stan.

"Yeah, but I got a splitting headache, though," said Sandy as she sat up. "What happened?"

"You fell out of the boat and I saved you," said Stan.

"You saved me?" said Sandy in surprise. "Thank you so much, bro. I guess I owe you one."

"No, know we're even," said Stan with a smile. Sandy giggled as she realized that he was talking about how she saved him from that volcano. Stan and Sandy fished their back packs out of the water and the two began walking down a nearby hallway leading out of the room.

They walked through the stone halls, talking to each other as they did.

"I'm sorry that I acted like such a jerk before," said Stan. "I guess I just went too far."

"Apology accepted," said Sandy.

"I have to admit though, I couldn't have made it this far without you," said Stan. Sandy couldn't help but feel glad that her brother was being so mature and humble but when she thought about what Stan had said, Sandy stopped suddenly as she realized something.

"What's wrong, sis?" asked Stan.

"You're right, you couldn't have gotten through this pyramid alone," said Sandy. "No one can."

"What are you talking about?" asked Stan.

"All the obstacles we'd been through required at least two people in order to complete it," said Sandy. "The pillars, the crushing room, and the boat, all of it required at least two individuals working together to complete the challenge. That's why no one has survived entering this pyramid, it takes team work to get through all those challenges." Stan's mouth dropped open as he realized that Sandy was right.

"Atata!" exclaimed Stan. "So if we didn't have each other, we wouldn't have made it this far."

"Exactly," said Sandy.

"Good thing we had each other," said Stan.

"Yeah, tell me about it," said Sandy. The twins laughed together, the first time they had done so in days. Now with their sibling rivalry gone, the two continued on their way through the tunnel.

The twins repeated "Ticky-Ticky" to themselves as they walked. The tunnel finally ended in a large stone room. Upon seeing the interior of the room, the twins gasped as their eyes met a room full of treasure. The room was oval in shape and decorating the wall of the room were loads of valuable trinkets made out of all kinds of valuable materials. Torches hung around the walls of the room and the light from the flames caused all the gold, silver, and diamonds to sparkle in the light.

"Wow, we found the treasure," said Stan.

"And to think, we're the first two to have been here in centuries," said Sandy. Sandy and Stan couldn't believe their eyes. From just a quick glance, the twins could see golden cups, gold tiaras, silver swords and shields, stone necklaces, barrels full of gold coins, golden captors, and...a Caidoz piece. The piece was hard to see amongst the gold but the distinctive shape of the piece was telling. Stan and Sandy ran up to the Caidoz piece, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. They reached for the piece at the same time and as a result, the two ended up grabbing it at the same time.

"I'll try and activate the piece," said Sandy.

"No, I will," said Stan.

"Or why don't we do it together, we both have the same Zodiac sign," said Sandy.

"Sounds good to me," said Stan. The twins placed their paws upon the piece and the two began saying the poem at the same time, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Once the poem was complete, the piece glowed a yellow light that filled the room as its magic was stirred from its sleep. As the piece glowed, a symbol engraved itself upon the piece. The glowing yellow symbol resembled the Roman Numeral for "two" only the two horizontal lines were curved outwards away from each other while the vertical lines remained strait and attached to the horizontal lines. This was the symbol of Gemini, Stan and Sandy's Zodiac sign.

The piece stopped glow, leaving the symbol glowing on top. Stan placed the piece into his back pack.

"Well, looks like we've got our piece," said Stan. "The only problem now is to figure out how to bring all this with us." Stan spread out his arms, showing that he was talking about the treasure.

"Let's leave it all here," said Sandy. "Besides, what can we do with treasure anyway?"

"Yeah, you're right," said Stan. "But how do we get out of here?"

"There's an exit right there," said Sandy as she pointed towards a second door to the room. With the Caidoz piece now in their possession, the twins repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked through the door in search of a way out.

The tunnel they took turned and spiraled as they climbed upward. The river Stan and Sandy had ridden in must had taken them deep underground which would explain why it was taking so long for them for each the surface After almost an hour of walking, Stan and Sandy began to hear something in the distance.

"What was that?" asked Stan. The two put a paw to their ears and listened for the source of the sound. As they listens, they began to make out voices, voices that were crying for help.

"It's the Ham-Hams," said Sandy with joy. Stan and Sandy got on all fours and ran towards the source of the sound, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they did.

They came to a room at the end of the hall and in the room, they saw what appeared to be a stone cell in the corner. The cell had a large steel door with a single bared window on it. Stan and Sandy ran up to the window to look inside and sure enough, they saw Boss, Roberto, and Travis inside.

"Hamha, you guys," greeted Sandy.

"Sandy, Stan, you're all right," said Boss. The others ran to the window, amazed to be seeing them.

"No way, how did you guys get here?" asked Roberto.

"We took the long way," said Sandy.

"What about the Caidoz piece?" asked Boss.

"We have it right here," said Stan.

"How do we get this door open?" asked Sandy.

"There's keys right over there," said Travis who pointed over to the wall on the other side of the room. Sure enough, there was a ring of keys hanging on a hook on the wall. Stan grabbed the keys and used them to unlock the door to the cell.

Once he opened the door, Stan asked, "So do any of you guys know how to get out of here?"

"There's a ladder near the trap door but we need a key to open it." said Boss. Curious, Stan and Sandy looked into the cell and noticed a steal ladder that led up to the trap door where the others had fallen through. Next to the ladder was a key hole. Stan pulled out the keys and then placed them into the key hole. He gave the key a good turn and instantly, the trap door swung open. Stan could not get the keys out so he left them there.

"Yes, we're out of here," said Roberto. The Ham-Hams climbed up the ladder one by one. Once everyone had climbed out from the cell, the trap door instantly closed and sealed itself shut. The Ham-Hams didn't know how that happened but they didn't bother to try to figure out how or tried to open the door again. They instead decided to go on home, listening to Stan and Sandy's story about how the power of teamwork got Stan and Sandy to the Caidoz piece.


	11. Red Herring

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 11: Red Herring

Team Five included the following Ham-Hams: Hamtaro, Dexter, Howdy, Neteru, and Kaiu. The clue that Neteru had obtained told them that their next Caidoz piece was located in a museum in a town called Wattocress on the island of Halastia. The Ham-Hams were thrilled to be going back to Halastia, especially Kaiu who had always wanted to see Halastia after hearing all those stories Neteru told him about his trip to Halastia. They soon realized that Team Two was also going to Halastia so the two teams went on the long journey together.

The trek through the forest took five days before the exhausted teams reached a dock which would provide them with transport to Halastia. The journey to the docks was a tiring one, especially for Kaiu but despite how tired he was from the trip, he kept his promise to his mother and didn't complain. Using some money given to them by Daruth, the Ham-Hams paid for tickets to a ship that was going to Halastia. During their three day journey, the Ham-Hams took the time to relax their tired feet.

After lunch, on the third day of their trip, the two teams sat on the floor of the deck so they could bask under the warm sun. Team Two had set up a chess game played between Maxwell and Panda. Maxwell had brought along a small chess board for the occasion and was trying to teach Panda how to play. Meanwhile, Team Five sat nearby, watching Howdy tell jokes to Kaiu.

"Hey Kaiu, what do you call someone who plays bells in a music band?" asked Howdy. "A brass player. Get it? Because bells are made of brass. Heh heh heh. I'm such a crack up." However, only Howdy was laughing at his really bad joke.

"Daddy, make him stop," whined Kaiu as he held his father's arm.

"Howdy, would you please stop with your jokes," said Neteru. "You're upsetting my son."

"Oh liven up, will you," said Howdy. "I'm just trying to teach the boy how to have a sense of humor."

"As if he would want to grow up with a sense of humor like yours," said Dexter.

"Hey, I take offense to that," said Howdy.

"Hold on, you two," said Hamtaro. "Don't fight." Howdy and Dexter glared at each other as if they were going to maul each other at any second.

Before they could attack, Kaiu said, "Hey, I see the island." The Ham-Hams brought their attention in the direction of the ship's bow and sure enough, there was an island in the distance. The Ham-Hams repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran to the bow of the ship. They gathered around the railing so they could get a good glimpse of Halastia up ahead. The island looked small from this distance but none the less, they easily could see the cities and vegetation of the island.

Kaiu was having difficulties seeing over the railing since he was so much more shorter than the adults.

"Daddy, I can't see anything," said Kaiu. Wanting to help, Neteru picked up his son and placed him on his shoulders. Kaiu gently held onto his father's ears for support and he looked out in amazement at Halastia.

"It's beautiful," said Kaiu fondly.

"Wow, it's like I can hold the entire island in my paw," said Hamtaro. The Ham-Hams stood there, admiring the island but Neteru didn't seem that interested. He just stared blankly at the island up ahead. It wasn't until he heard the sound of his son's voice that he snapped back to reality.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" asked Kaiu. "You seem distracted."

"There's something that puzzles me," said Neteru, making sure that he doesn't accidentally knock Kaiu off his shoulder by turning his head. "Why would Glabrezu and Spat want to hunt down the Caidoz pieces if they can't activate the pieces themselves?"

"Perhaps they have others to help them," suggested Hamtaro.

"Yeah, and villains are determined little critters," said Howdy. "They probably intend on taking all the pieces for themselves and then find others to help them activate the pieces."

"Or they have found some other way of activating the pieces," suggested Dexter.

"Maybe," said Neteru.

"Don't worry, Daddy," said Kaiu. "You'll teach Spat and Glabrezu a lesson. I know you will." Neteru smiled, admiring his son's faith in him.

The ship docked into Zolphville, allowing the Ham-Hams a chance to get off the ship. Once they gathered together onto the docks, the two teams stood in front of each other to say "good-bye."

"Well, I guess this is where we part," said Panda.

"It sure looks that way," said Neteru.

"Why aren't we going with them, Daddy?" asked Kaiu who held onto his father's paw.

"Because the Caidoz piece they are after is in this city while the one we're after is in a town called Wattocress located in another part of Halastia," explained Neteru.

"Is it far from here?" asked Moonbeam.

"Is it far?" said Howdy. "Why it's so far, we'll have to shoot the bus we'll be riding out of a cannon just to get halfway there. Hehe." Everyone produced a sweat drop from their head in response to the bad joke.

"I recommend we get going," said Maxwell.

"Yeah, we need to go," said June. "Bye-Q, you guys."

"Bye-Q and don't worry, we'll be back before you know it," said Hamtaro. Team Five watched Team Two walk towards the exit to the docks.

"I bet we'll get our Caidoz piece before they do," said Kaiu.

"This is not a race, Kaiu," said Neteru.

"Speaking of race, we better race to the nearest bus stop so we can reach Wattocress," said Hamtaro.

"Yeah, we better get going," said Neteru. The five Ham-Hams turned around and began the walk to the nearest bus stop.

The five adventurers managed to find a Gray Hound Bus they could ride to Wattocress. The bus resembled the buses one would find in a human based society except the buses looked more like toys and they ran on electricity instead of gas. The Ham-Hams sat in large blue colored plastic seats on the bus. Kaiu was excited because not only was this the first time he was on a bus but this was his first chance to see Halastia. Throughout the trip, Kaiu had his face pressed against the window, watching the world go by and frequently telling Neteru (who sat next to him) everything that caught his eye. Neteru resisted the temptation to tell Kaiu that this was not a vacation but Neteru couldn't find it in his heart to spoil Kaiu's fun. Hamtaro was rather interested in the sights of Halastia as well. He sat in the seat behind Neteru and Kaiu and the two had their faces pressed against the window.

The bus drove out of Zolphville and into the open roads leading to Wattocress. Kaiu and Hamtaro kept staring out at the open dirt and grass fields that covered the land around the road throughout the entire trip, admiring the view. Eventually, the surrounding dirt land was replaced with buildings as the Ham-Hams entered Wattocress. Neteru was most surprised when he first saw Wattocress because he expected the city to be no more grander than Zolphville but he was proven wrong when he first saw the city's huge buildings. It was like entering a miniature version of New York City with tall sky scrapers (some standing taller than a human), crowded streets, and shops of all shapes and sizes. Like Zolphville, Wattocress had many modern conveniences such as electrical street lights, pay phones, and public transportation. Along the side of the roads, ham-hams of all shapes and sizes were out and about, either doing errands, going to work, or out having some fun. Kaiu watched every building that went by with interest and curiosity; admiring every shop, store, restaurant, mall, and movie theater the bus passed.

The Ham-Hams got off the bus and then started the walk to their intended destination: The Wattocress Museum where the the next Caidoz piece is supposedly held. The Ham-Hams repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked along the sidewalk the sidewalk of the streets. Upon reaching the museum, they found it to resemble a library made out of dark brown bricks and white cement. Kaiu held his father's paw as he was led into the museum through the large glass double doors. Inside, the museum was barely active and hardly a soul was see. The walls were painted white and the tiled floor was also white, causing the colorful artifacts in the museum to stand out.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Howdy.

"I guess we ask around," said Neteru.

Before the Ham-Hams could take another step, however, a security guard stepped up in front of them. The guard was dressed in a blue uniform with a police officer hat and badge. Around her waist was a belt and attached to it was a night stick. The guard was a ham-ham with a white front and brownish-orange fur.

"Did you pay before coming here?" asked the guard.

"Well, no, but..." said Neteru.

"So, you thought you could just break into here without paying," said the guard threateningly.

"We don't mean to intrude but we need to see the owner of this museum," said Neteru.

"Oh, you want to see my boss?" asked the guard.

"Yes, that's all we want," said Neteru. The guard eyed Neteru suspiciously as if she was trying to figure out of he was telling the truth.

"Very well," said the guard. "Just follow me and don't take anything." The guard turned around and the Ham-Hams followed. Neteru was surprised that she so willingly let him see her boss but he didn't think too much of it.

The guard led the Ham-Hams through the long white hallways of the museum, leading them to a large wooden door with the words "Simon's office" written on it.

"Who's Simon?" asked Howdy.

"My boss," said the guard sarcastically. The guard knocked on the door and someone behind the door said, "Come in." The guard open the door and said, "Sir, I found these five ham-hams who wish to speak to you."

"Let them in," said a voice from inside the office. The guard stepped aside to allow the Ham-Hams inside.

The Ham-Hams gathered into the office and inside they found it to be very plain looking, just like the rest of the museum; Neither a shelf, nor a picture decorated the walls. All there was inside the room was a large wooden desk, a large brown chair, and a filing cabinet. Sitting inside the chair was a ham-ham who appeared to be sorting through some documents. The ham-ham had light yellow fur and he wore a gray suit and a red tie. The guard closed the door behind her, shutting the Ham-Hams with the hamster working on the desk.

The ham-ham lifted his head from the desk so he could see his visitors.

"May I help you?" asked the ham-ham.

"Are you Simon, the owner of this museum?" asked Neteru.

"Yes, and may I ask why you are in my office?" asked the ham-ham.

"Well, my name is Neteru." said Neteru. "This is Dexter, Howdy, Hamtaro, and my son Kaiu." Simon curiously leaned over his desk so he could see Kaiu standing beside Neteru.

"Aw, what an adorable son you have," said Simon. "How old are you, dear boy?"

"I'm three years old in human years," said Kaiu.

"Aw, well aren't you the cutest little thing," said Simon fondly.

"Yes he is," said Neteru. "Anyway, we need to have an artifact from your museum."

"Have an artifact?" asked Simon. "Well, I can't just give you one."

"We're looking for the twelve Caidoz pieces and we believe that you have one in your museum," said Neteru. Simon raised an eye brow out of curiosity.

"Why do you want the Caidoz pieces?" asked Simon.

"We know how to reveal their symbols," said Hamtaro.

"Yeah, and we have to put them all back together..." said Howdy.

"...and save the goddess Neanna." finished Dexter.

"You think that the twelve Caidoz pieces can enable you to bring Neanna back?" said Simon. "The goddess Neanna is just a myth and so is the story that the pieces have hidden symbols."

"No, she's real and we know that by combining the Caidoz pieces, we can free her from imprisonment," said Hamtaro. Simon placed a finger to his chin in thought.

"It's an intriguing proposition," he said. "Tell you what, if you can reveal the symbol on the Caidoz piece that I have, that would prove that some part of your story is true. If you can manage that kind of a feat, I will give the piece to you. However, I recommend you come back in a few hours because I need to dig the piece out of storage."

"Okay, we'll just come back later," said Neteru. "Thank you for your time."

The Ham-Hams left the office, repeating "Wasa-Wasa" as they walked, and along the way out of the museum, Hamtaro asked, "How are we going to activate the Caidoz piece? We don't know for certain if the Caidoz has the same zodiac sign as any of the five of us."

"We have to convince Simon to give us the piece and it was the only way I could think of," said Neteru.

"But what if we don't, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"I don't know," said Neteru honestly. "I just don't know, son."

The Ham-Hams spent the day wandering around Wattocress, seeing more of the city. However, there wasn't much to look at that they hadn't already seen on the bus ride to Wattocress. They spent only two hours exploring the city until they headed back to the museum. They entered through the front door to the museum but they didn't see the guard they come across earlier. Since the guard wasn't there, the Ham-Hams had to find the location of Simon's office by themselves.

"Does anyone remember where Simon's office is?" asked Neteru.

"I think it was this way," suggested Hamtaro as he pointed in the direction of where he was indicating. Following Hamtaro's suggestion, they went into the direction he indicated.

Unfortunately, the direction they had taken was the wrong one. Instead of leading them to Simon's office, it led them throughout the rest of the museum. The interior of the museum was larger than they thought and every turn they took led them further and further away from their intended destination. They asked other ham-hams for directions but there wasn't too many to ask and none of them knew how to get to Simon's office. Neteru was beginning to panic by the time they reached a large round room that was decorated with samurai armor that are over five hundred years old. The Ham-Hams observed the area, not sure what to do next.

"This is ridiculous," said Dexter. "I feel like a rat in a maze."

"You smell like one, too," said Howdy.

"Hey, you stink more than I do," interjected Dexter.

"You want a piece of me?" said Howdy threateningly.

"Hey, cut it out, you guys," said Neteru as he stepped in to separate the two.

As Howdy and Dexter argued, something caught Kaiu's eye. It was a blue and yellow samurai suit which resembled a suit warn by Kaeru, Kaiu's favorite bedtime storybook character. Since Neteru was too busy separating Howdy and Dexter, he had lessened his grip on Kaiu's paw, enabling Kaiu to slip out of his father's grasp and run over to the suit. He leaned onto the railing that kept tourists away from the suit, allowing himself a close look at the suit.

"Oh, this is so hamtastic," said Kaiu as he admired the suit.

Meanwhile, the museum's security guard overheard the commotion caused by Howdy and Dexter and she came over to talk to them.

"What is going on here?" demanded the guard. "Hey, aren't you the same guys who came here just a few hours ago?"

"Yes we are and we're trying to find Simon again but we got lost in the process," explained Neteru. "Could you help us find Simon?"

"Alright, just follow me," said the guard.

"Thanks," said Hamtaro. The Ham-Hams followed the guard as she led them out of the room, unaware that Kaiu was still admiring the samurai suit so he didn't notice the others leaving.

"Hey Daddy, this suit here looks just like Kaeru's suit," said Kaiu but when he turned around to look for his father, he realized that Neteru was gone. "Daddy?" Kaiu ran to the nearest hall but he didn't see his dad anywhere.

"Daddy!" shouted Kaiu but no one answered. Tears began to well up in Kaiu's eyes as he began to go into a panic when suddenly, someone said, "Oh, lost your daddy? I can help you find him." Relieved, Kaiu turned around to face the speaker.

"Thank you so..." said Kaiu but he cut his sentence short when he saw the face of the one behind him and froze in horror.

"Da..." cried Kaiu but before he could call his father, a large brown bag fell over his head, restricting Kaiu's speech and containing him securely so he couldn't escape. The kidnapper flung the bag over his shoulder with Kaiu kicking and screaming inside.

"Stop squirming, you little brat," said the kidnapper. "I have big plans for you. Oh yes, you will never escape the claws of Glabrezu."

The Ham-Hams were led to Simon's office by the security guard. Since Simon wasn't in the office, the guard left the Ham-Hams near the door to wait for Simon to arrive. They didn't have to wait very long because as soon as the guard left, Simon was seen walking towards them with a Caidoz piece in his right paw and a piece of paper n his left. Simon walked up to Neteru and said, "Good, you've arrived just in time. Here's the Caidoz piece you wanted." Simon handed the piece to Neteru.

"Thank you so much," said Neteru but before he put the piece in his back pack, Simon said, "Hold on, you still have to prove that this piece really is magical."

"Oh yeah," said Neteru.

"By the way, I found this in my office right after you left," said Simon as he gave Neteru the piece of paper. "It's addressed to you." Curious, Neteru opened up the piece of paper and it read:

_Dear Neteru_

_I hope you're keeping a good eye on your son because I intend on kidnapping him. If you want your son back, go to the basement of the museum and there, give me the Caidoz piece in exchange for your son. Don't call the authorities._

_Signed_

_Glabrezu_

Shocked by what he had read, Neteru looked around for Kaiu.

"Kaiu, where are you?" said Neteru but there was no answer. "Did anyone see Kaiu?"

"I last saw him looking at a suit of armor back in the room where all the samurai armor was kept," said Hamtaro. "He must still be there unless Glabrezu got him."

"Hamgoof, what have I done?" cried Neteru in horror. Without saying another word, Neteru ran off and the others followed, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

Neteru found the room where they had met the guard earlier but to Neteru's dismay, there was no sign of Kaiu anywhere.

"Kaiu!" shouted Neteru but there was no answer. The Ham-Hams and Simon all gathered around Neteru.

"I don't see the little critter anywhere," said Howdy. "Certainly was a smooth move of you to lose your only son like that. I bet Mara will be really mad if she found out."

"Howdy, have you no regards for other peoples' feelings!" shouted Dexter. Neteru didn't pay any attention to Howdy at all. He was too worried about Kaiu. It was his job to take care of Kaiu and he had let him down. Kaiu was the only child Neteru had ever fathered and raised and if anything were to happen to him, Neteru would never forgive himself. He examined the Caidoz piece and the letter which he still held in both paws. Remembering that the letter said for him to meet Glabrezu in the basement, he debated over what to do next. Neteru couldn't just hand over the piece but he couldn't leave Kaiu to Glabrezu's torment either. Knowing what he had to do as a father, he asked Simon, "Simon, how do we get to the basement from here?"

Kaiu was shaking in fright as he laid their on the cold basement floor. His arms and legs were bounded by rope, a sock had been stuffed into his mouth, and a blindfold was tied around his eyes. As he laid there, he heard a loud sound coming from nearby. Kaiu wasn't sure what it was but shortly afterwards, he heard footsteps walking towards him. Before he knew what happened, his blindfold was abruptly removed, followed by the sock in his mouth. Once the sock was removed, Kaiu began spiting his saliva in an attempt to get the foul taste of the sock out of his mouth his mouth.

Kaiu looked up at Glabrezu who stood over him menacingly.

"What do you want from me?" said Kaiu.

"You're daddy has something I want and if he wants to see you again, he will give it to me," said Glabrezu with an evil smile. Glabrezu turned away from Kaiu and began watching and waiting for Neteru to show up. Now that there was nothing covering his eyes, Kaiu searched the area for some way of escaping. The basement was completely dark and dirty with all sorts of wooden crates and cardboard boxes that took up much of the space in the basement. Only a few light bulbs overhead provided any light, making the light in the basement dim. The only way out of the basement, that Kaiu could see, was some wooden stairs leading to the exit. Kaiu knew he couldn't get far with his paws and feet bound like this so he searched around for something he could use to cut himself free. When he found nothing of use, he then attempted to undo the knot so he could free himself. He quietly struggled against the restraints and as he pulled on the rope, he realized that the knot was beginning to become undone. Kaiu continued to work at the knot, desperate to escape.

Just then, Neteru and the Ham-Hams came barging through the door to the basement. The first thing Neteru saw was Glabrezu and Kaiu waiting for them down stairs.

"Kaiu!" shouted Neteru.

"Daddy, help me," cried Kaiu. The Ham-Hams ran down the stairs, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran. Once they reached the foot of the stairs, Glabrezu held out his paw and said, "Stop where you are." The Ham-Hams froze in their tracks. "Do you have the Caidoz piece?" With a menacing glare, Neteru held out his paw, revealing the Caidoz piece he'd been holding.

"Here it is, Glabrezu," said Neteru. When Kaiu realized that Neteru was about to give Glabrezu the piece in exchange for his life, Kaiu worked frantically to untie the knot. Meanwhile, Neteru and Glabrezu just stared at each as if daring the other to make a move.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Glabrezu coldly. "If you want your son back alive, you better give me the piece." With a heavy sigh, Neteru nervously walked towards Glabrezu with the piece held out in his paw. The two were approaching each other, about to make the ransom exchange.

Right before Neteru could give Glabrezu the piece, Kaiu finally managed to free himself from the ropes and made a run towards his father.

"Daddy, don't do it," cried Kaiu. Glabrezu saw Kaiu running towards them so he immediately cast a spell. "_Vock nagno zoolk_." From Glabrezu's finger tips, a bolt of lightening shot towards Kaiu but Kaiu was running so fast, Glabrezu couldn't take proper aim and it missed. The bolt struck a few box which were knocked over and burned by the strike. The force of the bolt (although it didn't directly hit Kaiu) did knock Kaiu off his feet by the shear electrical shock of it, causing him to fall over and landing hard on the basement floor. Neteru took the opportunity and shouted his own spell.

"_Ziryon_." shouted Neteru. A fire ball shot from Neteru's staff and the ball hit Glabrezu in the chest, knocking him in the air and landing hard on the basement floor, seemingly rendering him unconscious.

As Glabrezu laid their stunned, Neteru ran over to Kaiu's aide.

"Are you okay?" asked Neteru.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Kaiu as he got back onto his feet. Upon realizing that Kaiu was not harmed, Neteru immediately dropped the Caidoz piece he was holding and then picked up Kaiu and hugged him tightly.

"Oh thank goodness," said Neteru with relief. Both father and son embraced each other in a loving hug which was quickly interrupted by Glabrezu's voice.

"Oh, how touching," said Glabrezu sarcastically as he got back onto his feet.

"Get out of here, Glabrezu," ordered Neteru. "You've lost."

"True, you may have defeated me now but I'll be back," warned Glabrezu. "Bocka will be freed and no one is going to stop me." With that, Glabrezu immediately teleported away in a big flash of light sound.

Neteru held his son tightly as if he was afraid he might lose him again if he didn't.

"I'm sorry for leaving you behind," said Neteru.

"It's okay, Daddy," said Kaiu. "We all make mistakes and you saved me, anyway." Kaiu wrapped his arms around Neteru's neck in a hug. "I love you." The two began affectionally rubbing each other, repeating "Schmubby-Wubby" as they did. Meanwhile, Howdy picked up the Caidoz piece Neteru had dropped. He placed his paw on it and said, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Nothing happened.

"What are you doing?" asked Dexter.

"What does it look like?" interjected Howdy. "I'm trying to activate the piece so we could prove to Simon that this piece is magical."

"You already activated the Caidoz piece that was in accordance with your zodiac sign," said Dexter. "This one can't work for you."

"Then who else would be able to activate the piece?" asked Howdy.

"I bet I could," said Dexter. Dexter grabbed the piece out of Howdy's paws.

"Hey, give that back," said Howdy. While ignoring Howdy, Dexter placed his paw on the piece before Howdy could say anything, Dexter recited the poem, "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Instantly the room was filled with an eerie blue light as the piece's power was activated. A symbol began to engrave itself upon the piece. The symbol looked like two horizontal lines placed parallel with each other. The line on top had a large round hump in the middle. This was the symbol of Libra, Dexter's zodiac sign.

The symbol soon stopped glowing, leaving the zodiac sign clearly visible on top of the piece.

"What was that light?" asked Simon who was coming down the stairs leading to the exit to the basement. "And what happened to those boxes?" Simon pointed to the burning boxes that were destroyed by Glabrezu's lightening bolt.

"Glabrezu burnt them," said Kaiu. "We're sorry."

"Oh, don't worry, little ham-ham," said Simon. "There's nothing in those boxes that can't be replaced. So what was that light I saw?"

"That was the Caidoz piece," explained Neteru.

"You mean all that light came from that one little gold piece?" asked Simon.

"Yep, and you can see for yourself," said Hamtaro. Curious, Simon leaned over and examined the Caidoz piece that Dexter was holding. To his surprise, Simon saw the zodiac sign engraved upon the piece.

"Why that's impossible," said Simon. "How is that symbol staying alight like that?"

"The magic of the Caidoz pieces can only be activated by someone who's zodiac sign matches the sign of the piece," explained Neteru.

"Extraordinary," said Simon in awe. "Very well, this certain proves that there is something unique about these pieces and thus you may keep it."

"Yay," cheered Kaiu. Neteru gladly placed the piece back into his back pack. The Ham-Hams thanked Simon and they left the building, on their way to their next destination.


	12. The Baroque Association Part One

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 12: The Baroque Association Part One

After spending the night in a motel, the five adventurers took a train on their way to another city in Halastia called Orat. Orat is a city located on the rim of Halastia, making it a perfect place to set up shipyards. The reason why they needed to go Orat was because they needed to reach a neighboring island called Drumstone. Drumstone is another ham-ham inhabited island only it's much more smaller than Halastia. According to the clue they obtained, it read:

_One piece has been buried for years in an underground storage chamber on an island called Drumstone, located five miles north of Halastia._

After doing some research through travel agencies, Neteru learned that the only ships that travel to and from Drumstone are found in Orat. Neteru couldn't figure out why but he did learn that Drumstone is heavily isolated from the rest of the world. Upon learning this fact, Neteru couldn't help but be concerned considering the fact that there could be a dangerous reason for why the island is so isolated.

Neteru sat in his seat on the train, thinking about how odd it is that an entire city on a small island would want to be isolated like that.

"Is something wrong, Daddy?" asked Kaiu who sat in the window seat next to Neteru. Neteru was snapped out of his thoughts once he heard his son's voice. He turned his gaze towards Kaiu and said, "I'm fine, I was just staring out into space."

"Oh," said Kaiu who didn't fully understand what that meant. "By the way, you may want to look at this, Daddy, there's a carnival outside. Come see." Curious, Neteru leaned over Kaiu so he could look out of the window. Sure enough, he could see what looked to be a carnival in the distance with large rides and tents that probably held games. Hamtaro and the others were looking out the window as well.

"Wow, looks like fun," said Hamtaro.

"It reminds me of the Ham-Ham Fun Park," said Kaiu.

"I think I've heard of this carnival," said Neteru. "It's called the Bungi Day Carnival which is set up every year on Bungi Day which is today."

"Do you think any of the Ham-Hams are there now?" asked Kaiu.

"Maybe," said Neteru with a smile. "They might be there."

Orat didn't seem any different than Zolphville when Neteru and the Ham-Hams first saw it after getting out of the train. At first glance, Orat almost looked identical to Zolphville with the same building design and modern conveniences. It wasn't until they actually left the train station and saw the city close up did they notice that the city had a more suburban quality to it, making it feel more like a quite neighborhood as oppose to a large city. Since their boat going to Drumstone was not expected to leave for about another two hours, the Ham-Hams decide to find a place where they could have some lunch.

They walked through the streets of Orat until they found a small restaurant located next to the docks. The restaurant was a simple one with just a single building where the food was prepared and the orders were taken and the customers had to sit in tables located outside of the restaurant. Cashiers sat behind windows where they took the customers' orders. There was no line so the Ham-Hams crowded in front of a window to order some food. The cashier was a female ham-ham with light yellow fur and on her head was a hat that was indicative of someone working at a fast food restaurant.

"May I help you?" asked the cashier politely. Looking up at the menu hanging overhead, the Ham-Hams began reading off what they wanted.

"Yes, I'll have the sun flower salad," said Neteru.

"I'll have a seed burger," said Hamtaro.

"Make mine a melon hot dog with extra relish," said Howdy.

"I'll have the corn pudding," said Dexter. Kaiu looked up at the menu, not sure as to what to pick.

"Do you see anything you like?" asked Neteru to Kaiu.

"I can't decide between the sliced acorn bits or the straw berry pudding," said Kaiu.

As Kaiu stood their and thought, a ham-ham walked up to the restaurant to order some food in the next window. The ham-ham was entirely pumpkin orange and he large oval shaped ears. He had overheard Kaiu's dilemma as he was walking towards the window and said, "I personally recommend the sliced acorn bits because I heard the straw berry pudding here tastes awful." Taking the stranger's advice, Kaiu ordered the acorn bits. Meanwhile, the ham-ham was ordering a seed burger in the neighboring window. As they waited for their orders, the ham-ham turned his attention back to Kaiu and smiled.

"That's a cute little boy you have there," said the ham-ham. Neteru faced the ham-ham to answer back and when the two saw each other's faces, they gasped when they recognized each other.

"Neteru?" said the ham-ham.

"Tick, is that you?" asked Neteru.

"I don't believe, it's actually you," said the ham-ham with joy. The ham-ham and Neteru hugged each other in a friendly embrace which surprised the other Ham-Hams.

"Daddy, who is this?" asked Kaiu.

"This is a friend of mine which I haven't seen in over five years," said Neteru. "His name is Tick."

"Tick?" said Hamtaro. "Isn't he the guy who saved your life and left you in the Clubhouse?"

"The one and the same," said Neteru.

"I don't understand," said Kaiu.

"You see, son, before you were born, I had been put under a sleeping spell by the evil spirit named Ulzogga," said Neteru. "But it was Tick who had found me under the curse and had taken me to the Ham-Hams."

"Oh yeah," said Kaiu. "Now I remember." Kaiu sweetly smiled up at Tick. "Thank you for saving my daddy."

"You mean this is really your son?" asked Tick.

"Sure is," said Neteru. Before more could be said, their orders had arrived in several cardboard trays. The Ham-Hams took their orders and offered Tick to sit down with them which he accepted.

They all sat around a large plastic table where they ate and traded stories. Kaiu ate his acorn slices very quickly as if it was his last meal.

"Wow, you have quite the appetite," said Tick.

"He does have a tendency to eat fast," said Neteru as he patted Kaiu on the head.

"Who's the boy's mother?" asked Tick.

"Mara," said Neteru.

"Mara? You mean she's free?" asked Tick.

"Oh yes," said Neteru. "My new friends managed to free Mara and destroyed Ulzogga. After that, Mara and I fell in love with each other and eventually, we had Kaiu together."

"Well, I'm happy for you and Mara," said Tick with a smile. "To be honest, I didn't think you and Mara would actually become a couple, let alone actually be parents together. I mean, I knew you two were close but I didn't think you two would actually go as far as to have se..." Tick's sentence was interrupted when Neteru kicked him under the table. Before Tick could ask what was wrong, Neteru began pointing at Kaiu, indicating that he didn't want Tick to say anything incriminating in front of Kaiu. Figuring out the hint, Tick didn't finish his sentence.

"So enough about me, why don't you tell us what you've been up to lately," said Neteru. "Why aren't you living with your original owner, the pet store owner."

"About a month after I left you at the Clubhouse, my owner died," said Tick.

"He did?" asked Neteru in shock.

"Yep, he died shortly after he sold Moonbeam," said Tick. "After that, I had no home to go to and I couldn't go looking for you because if I did, I'd run the risk of exposing your location to Ulzogga. Not to mention I feared for my safety because Ulzogga might have been after me at the time. So I ran away and managed to catch a boat to Halastia to start a new life."

"Life on my own turned out to be harder than I thought. I was so used to living with humans that I didn't know how to manage a job. For over a week, I lived like a vagrant with no food or a place to live. I eventually collapsed from hunger and was found by a ham-ham named Jozan. He took me home and I had dinner with his wife and three kids. They let me temporarily stay with them but I had grown so attached to the couple that they let me work for them as a housekeeper. I knew how to clean and hamy-sit their kids but it took me some practice to figure out how to cook my own meals. I worked there for about two years before I began to feel guilty about depending on Jozan and his family so I decided to take on my own career."

"As luck would have it, Jozan worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Halastia's government. You see, I didn't realize it at first but I somehow found my way into Halastia's capital, close to where Halastia's government is run. Since Jozan worked there, had connections within the government. On one fateful night, Jozan was talking over dinner that he heard that the government needed a new ambassador. Upon hearing this, I jumped at the chance to take the job. I turned out to be a very good ambassador since I knew five languages, was a good traveler, and was familiar with how to interact in other countries. With these qualities, I was surely going to get the job but before I did, I was given a test. I was sent to some city in America where I was to resolve some kind of a dispute between the trade commissions and to my surprise, I was a good debater. After that, I got the job so now I work as an ambassador in the Department of Foreign Affairs along side Jozan."

The Ham-Hams had almost finished their lunch, listening to Tick's story with interest.

"So what are you doing here?" asked Kaiu.

"I'm going to an island called Drumstone," said Tick.

"Really? So are we," said Neteru. Tick seemed surprised by the news.

"Well that's an interesting coincidence," said Tick. "Why are you guys going to Drumstone?" The Ham-Hams explained the whole story to Tick about the Caidoz pieces, Glabrezu, Neanna, and the Sidereal Palace. Now it was Tick's turn to listen to their story.

"And now we have to get our Caidoz piece which is in Drumstone," said Neteru.

"Perhaps we could go together," suggested Tick.

"Certainly," said Neteru. "But why are you going to Drumstone?"

"Drumstone is ruled by a monarchy which has been crumbling almost for as long as the island has been inhabited," said Tick. "For years, Halastia has been trying to convince Drumstone to join our government and be a part of Halastia but we haven't been able to affectively communicate with them so I'm being sent to visit the king of Drumstone to talk him into joining Halastia."

"Hamsterrific, I bet Drumstone would love the idea," said Hamtaro. As they talked, Neteru cast a glance towards a large clock on top of a long pole and gasped. It was already one o'clock.

"Uh oh, the boat is going to leave for Drumstone in one hour," said Neteru. Tick chanced a glance at the clock and gasped when he realized that Neteru was right.

"Hamgoof, we're late," cried Tick. The Ham-Hams and Tick hastily tossed the cardboard trays away and immediately ran down the road, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

In no time at all, the six adventurers were on their way to Drumstone. To their surprise, the boat they took was one of those small boats more commonly used for fishing. The Ham-Hams wore large orange life vests as they road the speeding boat towards Drumstone. After hours of travel, the island of Drumstone was beginning to become more visible in the distance but unlike Halastia, which was covered in luscious forests and cities, Drumstone looked barren and dry. The island didn't have any visible plant life and it didn't have any toll buildings either. Upon reaching the island, the boat docked into a small dock which looked barely large enough to fit a large cargo ship and unlike the docks in Halastia, this one was completely devoid of life. The Ham-Hams and Tick climbed out of the boat and then ventured off into the town.

Once they entered the town, the Ham-Hams quickly realized that there was something missing; there was no one in the town. It was like the entire town was deserted and not a single soul could be seen. The buildings were made out of straw and small sticks of wood. Unlike Halastia, Drumstone was much more simpler than Halastia in comparison its design and technology. Instead of concrete roads, the roads were made of bare dirt and they were dry and dusty. It was these dirty roads the Ham-Hams walked along, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked.

Drumstone was like a ghost town and with the addition of the unearthly silence that surrounded the Ham-Hams, they couldn't help but get the feeling that they were being watched.

"Where is everybody, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"I don't know," said Neteru.

"Strange, I thought there would be more ham-hams than this," said Tick.

"This place is more bare than an egg with a shave, heh heh," said Howdy with a laugh.

"It's as bare as your collection of good jokes, Howdy," said Dexter.

"Hey, I take offense to that," said Howdy angrily.

"Will you two keep quiet," ordered Neteru. "We don't want to attract unwanted attention here."

"But why wouldn't we want to draw attention to ourselves?" asked Hamtaro. "Who do we have to fear?" Suddenly, Hamtaro got his answer.

A small electric car was seen driving on the dirt roads. The car was silver in color and it looked like a minivan without a roof and sticking out of the roof was three heads that belonged to three ham-hams. The Ham-Hams stood there in the middle of the road, wondering what they should do but then all of a sudden, the vehicle stopped right in front of the Ham-Hams, allowing the three passengers to exit the vehicle. Through the wind shield, Neteru could make out another ham-ham who was the driver vehicle. The three ham-hams were dressed in chainmail and they each carried swords and large oval shaped shields. They drew out their swords and aimed their weapons at the six Ham-Hams. Kaiu frightfully got behind his father for protection. Neteru held out his staff, ready to fight.

One of the three chainmail clad ham-hams approached Neteru and said, "By order of Lord Belacqua, I hereby place you all under arrest for trespassing on the island of Drumstone."

"We all come in peace," said Tick. "I'm an ambassador of Halastia and I've come..."

"You're from Halastia?" asked the guard, interrupting Tick.

"Yes," said Tick.

"Then you've obviously come here with the intend of overthrowing our king," said the ham-ham. "For that, you shall be executed."

"What?!" said Tick in shock. "But I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want..."

"Silence!" ordered the ham-ham.

"Hey, just who are you?" demanded Neteru.

"We are Belacqua's personal police force and you will all accompany us to the prisons until we can determine why you are here," said the ham-ham.

"We're not going anywhere," said Neteru as he raised his staff.

"Then we shall take you down by force," said the ham-ham. "Charge." The three ham-hams charged towards Neteru but then Neteru cast his spell.

"_Tempall dogino_," said Neteru and from his staff, three bolts of light struck the ham-hams, freezing them in temporal stasis. Neteru smiled in triumph but his smile faded when he noticed that the ham-ham in the van was already calling for back up from a radio in the van.

"We better get out of here," said Neteru. The Ham-Hams immediately turned and ran off, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.

They didn't run far because in no time at all, more of those chainmail wearing police officers were beginning to appear. The Ham-Hams were about to reach the docks when two of the same silver colored vehicles was riding down the road and heading towards the Ham-Hams. The Ham-Hams made a sudden stop before turning around and running in the other direction but before they could run far, three more of those vehicles were heading towards them. The Ham-Hams just stood there, trapped between five cars that were heading towards them in both directions.

"What are we going to do?" asked Hamtaro. Even Neteru wasn't sure how he could take all of them. Before he had time to come up with a plan, he heard someone say, "Quick, in here." A quick glance revealed to Neteru that the speaker was a shadowy figure who stood in the doorway of a nearby house.

"Get in here, hurry," said the ham-ham. Normally Neteru would have been suspicious, but since he had no other choice, he led the Ham-Hams into the home.

Upon entering the home, they quickly realized how dark the house was since the lights were off and all the windows were covered by curtains.

"Follow me," said the ham-ham. The Ham-Hams followed their newfound rescuer to the basement which turned out to be even darker than the rest of the house, making it hard for them to see where they were going. The unknown ham-ham opened a trap door in the floor.

"Quick, climb in," said the ham-ham. The Ham-Hams climbed into the small crawl space under the trap door. Above them, they could hear the front door being kicked down to the floor above them as the police broke into the house. The unknown ham-ham was the last one to climb down the trap door and she closed the door behind her.

The Ham-Hams all crowed into the trap door, listening for the sounds of footsteps upstairs. The Ham-Hams huddles together, hoping not to make a sound. In the dark, Neteru felt Kaiu grasp his paw.

"Daddy, I'm scared," said Kaiu. Neteru gently squeezed Kaiu's paw and kept his arm around Kaiu to comfort him. From above their heads, the Ham-Hams saw the overhead light to the basement turn on as the police came into the basement looking for them. The Ham-Hams held their breaths as they heard the police walking above them. The light flooded through the cracks in the floor board, illuminating the dark hiding place they were in. Now that Neteru had a little more light, he could now make out the ham-ham who had lured them down there in the first place. The ham-ham was female and she had blood red fur. She also had red pig tails which resembles Pepper's, and she wore a green vest. Around her neck was a necklace that was attached to a green colored stone with a gold colored symbol engraved on it. The symbol looked like a vertical line with a diagonal line through the middle.

After what felt like hours, the police eventually left the house and once the coast was clear, the Ham-Hams snuck out of their hiding place in the basement and into the living room.

"Wow, that was close," said Howdy.

"Yeah, thanks for saving us," said Hamtaro.

"No problem," said the ham-ham. "I saw you take on Belacqua's police force. By the way, who are you strangers, anyway?"

"I'm Neteru and this is my son, Kaiu."

"Hamha, I'm Hamtaro."

"Dexter's my name."

"I'm Howdy, the funny one."

"I'm Tick, ambassador of Halastia."

"Well you guys certainly have some interesting names," said the ham-ham. "My name is Amy."

"Well Amy, you mind telling us what is going on here," said Neteru.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you here, it's too dangerous," said Amy. "I must first take you to some place safe. Follow me." Amy turned around and headed towards the front door and the Ham-Hams followed.

Amy quickly sneaked the Ham-Hams through the empty streets of Drumstone. Except for a few police patrol cars, they didn't see anyone outside. This fact concerned Tick and Neteru since they couldn't help but wonder where everyone had gone too. This concern remained on their minds until Amy led them to a door located on the back of a house. Amy opened the door and then led the Ham-Hams inside. Amy led the Ham-Hams to the basement of the house which was even more run down than the previous one they were in. Even in the dim light, they could make out lots of old boxes and furniture lining the walls. As before, Amy found a trap door located hidden on the floor of the basement but unlike before, this door led to a tunnel. Amy led the Ham-Hams into the tunnel and then directed them through it. The tunnel was at least three yards long and it was perfectly strait. The earthen walls of the tunnel reminded the Ham-Hams of the Clubhouse tunnels.

Eventually, the tunnel led them to an underground room that was bigger than the Clubhouse and was filled with Ham-Hams everywhere. The Ham-Hams were surprised by the size of the place. It was large and several tunnels lined along the walls, indicating extra rooms or exits. There were also some weapons as if they had entered a battle camp. Amy spoke up to the hamsters and said, "My fellow rebels, I have found a group of foreigners to our land. One of them is a sorcerer who may be able to help us defeat Belacqua and The Baroque Association." Instantly, there were some excited whispers from everyone as they all began to gather around the Ham-Hams. Like fans crowding around their favorite rock star, the hamsters got up from their chairs and couches and began crowding around the Ham-Hams. The Ham-Hams were bombarded with questions all at once by the hamsters. Feeling overwhelmed, Neteru said, "Hold on, we didn't come all the way here to save you all."

"I know but you look like someone with talent, talent we need to save ourselves from enslavement," said Amy.

"Can you at least explain to use what we need to save you from?" asked Neteru.

"Certainly," said Amy. "Just take a seat and I'll explain everything."

Six chairs were brought for the Ham-Hams to sit in as they listened to Amy tell her story.

"Long ago, this kingdom was ruled by a good king and queen," said Amy as she got into a seat of her own. "Although the kingdom was having financial difficulties, the king and queen ruled fairly over their subjects and with their kind and sweet daughter, Princess Amionna, they worked for a better future for the crumbling kingdom. Drumstone has been inhabited by ham-hams even longer than Halastia has and the island used to be filled with priests who worshiped Neanna before she disappeared. At that time, the ham-ham priests made ten magical stones, each granted its wearer with magical abilities unique to the stone and it was these stones that the king and queen used to protect Drumstone against all those who seek to do Drumstone harm. But, unfortunately, the same stones that were used to help the kingdom had betrayed it when they fell into the wrong paws."

"The king's most trusted advisor, Belacqua, had taken the stones for himself. He gave the stones to his trusted companions and using the power of the stones, they murdered the king and queen. Now, with the king and queen gone, Belacqua had appointed himself as the king of Drumstone. As for the rest of his servants, he allowed them to keep the stones so they could form the Baroque Association. For months, the Baroque Association has conquered all of Drumstone. It's inhabitants are now slaves to the Association. The reason why you haven't been seeing other ham-hams in this town is because they've all been moved to isolation camps. However, a few of us has managed to escape Belacqua's control and we've been holding an underground resistance to the Baroque Association and I'm their leader."

"What is Belacqua doing with the ham-hams?" asked Neteru.

"Belacqua has led our people to the shores of the island behind the castle in order to search for an ancient artifact called the Staff of Alabasta," explained Amy. "No one knows where the staff came from or who made it but it is said that the Staff of Alabasta is a staff of great power and Belacqua wants to use the staff to make him even more stronger."

"What about Princess Amionna?" asked Kaiu. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know," said Amy. "She disappeared shortly after her parents were murdered. we don't know if she was killed, kidnapped, or escaped."

"Oh, how awful," said Hamtaro.

"Do you have any plans on how to defeat Belacqua?" asked Neteru.

"We have a plan but we've not been able to put it into motion," said Amy. "However, if you're as powerful as I think you are, you may be able to change that."

"How?" asked Neteru.

"Well, follow me and I'll show you," said Amy. Amy got up from her seat and led the Ham-Hams to the other end of the underground burrow.

Meanwhile, in a castle not too far away, a ham-ham was facing out the window, gazing upon the empty town below. The ham-ham was dark brown and had some red around the ears and mouth. he had sinister looking eye brows and around his neck was a gold colored stone. He stared transfixed upon the buildings below, his thoughts focused on the unknown visitors to his island. This ham-ham was none other than Belacqua, the leader of The Baroque Association. The members of the Baroque Association stood right behind him, waiting for any news of the visitors. The stones Belacqua and the other Baroque Association members wore around their necks were the magical stones that they stole from the king and queen of Drumstone. The stone Belacqua wore around his neck was The Sand Stone which gives him the power to turn into a whirlwind of sand which he could use for escape or for smothering people.

The rest of the Baroque Association each had their own stones which gives them unique powers while they wear the stones around their neck, just like Belacqua's Sand Stone. The first member of the Baroque Association was a female ham-ham with light pink fur. Her name is Jasmine and she wears the Hypnosis Stone which grants her the power to hypnotize anyone she wants (except the other members). The next member was another female ham-ham with flame orange fur and the name Flara. Flara wears the Fire Stone which grants her the power to turn herself into a living torch. Ballun is the next ham-ham in the group and the stone he possesses is the Rubber Stone which gives him the power to bounce and stretch like rubber. Standing next to Ballun was Helm, a bronze colored ham-ham who has the Armor Stone which grants him the power to turn his entire body into an indestructible metal. The next member on the list is a short ham-ham with white fur and the name Squeaker. Squeaker has the Noise Stone which gives him the power to create a powerful hypersonic sound which could topple buildings. The tallest ham-ham in the Association is Blade who has gray and black fur and wears the Blade Stone which transforms his arms into powerful sharp blades whenever he wants. Next to Blade is Bonga, a short and sturdy ham-ham who has the Explosion Stone which can enable him to blow himself up like a bomb over and over again without hurting himself. And the last member is a female ham-ham named Brigid who is a white colored ham-ham with the Ice Stone which givers her the power to create snow and imprison foes inside huge chunks of ice.

As the Baroque Association waited, a butler came running into the room, repeating "Badda-Badda" as he ran. The butler's name was Hugo and he was a short hamster with gray fur and a white front. He nervously walked up to Belacqua and the Baroque Association and said, "The police had lost the sorcerer and his companions. They suspect that the rebels have them." Flames began to surround Flara's paws as she growled in frustration.

"Those rebels darn, we should have destroyed them by now," said Flara.

"Don't lose your temper, Flara," said Squeaker. "It wont be long before we will be able to defeat those rebels. Even that sorcerer wont be able to best us once we find The Staff of Alabasta."

"I will gladly tare that sorcerer to shreds if he dares to try and stop us," said Blade.

"Yes, lets get 'em," said Ballun enthusiastically.

"We don't know anything about these new advisories or if they have sided with the rebels," said Bonga. "We must obtain more information before we strike."

"Who cares who or what they are?" asked Helm. "I say we get rid of them now before they can act."

"If we do, then we would be wasting our time fighting an unknown enemy when we could instead be searching for the Staff of Alabasta," said Jasmine.

"And I agree with Jasmine," said Belacqua. "We don't know who they are or if they had been sent by the rebels. Either way, it doesn't matter. For months now, we have been searching into every underground storage room left by the ancient inhabitants of this island and so far, none of the storage rooms we searched have the Staff of Alabasta inside them."

"What makes you so sure that the staff is even in one of those storage rooms?" asked Flara.

"We looked everywhere else the ancients could have hidden the staff except in those buried storage rooms," explained Belacqua. "This next one has to contain the staff, I can feel it.

"And what if it doesn't?" asked Brigid.

"Then we will hunt down those new arrivals," said Belacqua. "For now, we will go to the dig sight and watch the workers dig up the storage room."

"And what if they attack us?" asked Squeaker.

"With our defenses, there's no way they can stop us," said Belacqua with an evil grin. "Oh yes, when they get here, we'll be ready."

As the Baroque Association exited the castle to see the progress of the dig, the Ham-Hams were with the rebels as they explained their plan. The Ham-Hams were led to a small room and inside the room was what appeared to be a door to a safe. The door was round with a combination lock located in the center.

"What is this?" asked Neteru.

"Centuries ago, when the castle was first built, the ancient king and queen of the time built this secret tunnel which can be used to escape the castle when it's being invaded or break into the castle when it has been captured by the enemy," explained Amy. "This is that very same tunnel and through it, we can break into the castle and past Belacqua's defenses."

"But if you've had this method of breaking into the castle this whole time, how come you haven't used it before?" asked Neteru.

"Well, the tunnel that leads to the castle has never been used once in the entire two-hundred years it's been here and since no one has been using this tunnel, it has eroded and began to crumble," explained Amy. "After years of heavy rain and flooding, the water has seeped into the ground and has flooded the tunnel with water. We have no method of removing the water until now. I bet with your magic, we can remove the water in the tunnel so we can break into the castle and stop The Baroque Association."

"Could you manage that, Neteru?" asked Hamtaro.

"A simple 'Part Water' spell would moved the water so that it wont drown the ham-hams," said Neteru. "So technically, I could help you get through the water."

"Great, we will begin the invasion now," said Amy.

"Now?" said Tick. "Why so soon?"

"We suspect that Belacqua is close to uncovering The Staff of Alabasta and if he gets to the staff, all will be lost," said Amy.

"Then we will help fight," said Hamtaro.

"Yeah, we're not going to let Belacqua conquer this island," said Tick. Amy smiled.

"Thank you for helping our kingdom," said Amy. "Lets get to work."

_Author's Note: For more information about Tick and how he fits into the series, see chapter 6 of "The Mystery of Snoozer."_


	13. The Baroque Association Part Two

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 13: The Baroque Association Part Two

The rebels were quickly assembled in the main room of the underground headquarters, all prepared to fight with whatever weapons they had available such as swords, clubs, mallets, and hammers. As they were preparing for a fight, Kaiu was begging his dad to let him come along.

"Daddy, why can't I come along?" whined Kaiu.

"Because you're too young to be in a fight like this," said Neteru.

"But I want to fight alongside you," pleaded Kaiu.

"It can get very dangerous for you," said Neteru kindly. "Do you want to end up kidnapped like last time?"

"No," said Kaiu softly.

"Then promise me that you will stay here," said Neteru. Kaiu looked up at Neteru pleadingly as he thought about what his dad said. He didn't want to be a burden, nor did he want to worry his dad by getting himself in trouble again.

"Okay Daddy, I'll stay here," said Kaiu. Neteru gave Kaiu a hug and then kissed him gently on the forehead.

"I knew I could count on you, son," said Kaiu. Kaiu wrapped his arms around his father to return the hug.

"Promise you'll come back," said Kaiu.

"I promise," said Neteru.

Once everyone was ready for battle, Amy stood in front of the door to the secret entrance, about to open it so the invasion could begin. Neteru stood next to Amy and behind him was the Ham-Hams and the rebels who stood single file behind him, ready to enter the cave.

"Doc, is everyone accounted for?" asked Amy.

"Everyone is here and ready for action," said an old gray ham-ham from within the line of rebels. Satisfied with the report, Amy carefully turned the dial on the safe with a stethoscope in her ears, listening for the tumbler inside the safe. Eventually, Amy heard a loud click through the stethoscope and the door was unlocked. She pulled on the handle but the door would not budge since it was rusted shut after years of disuse.

"What's wrong?" asked Neteru.

"It's stuck," said Amy.

"We better help her," said Hamtaro. The Ham-Hams gathered around the door and grabbed a hold on the handle. While saying "Grooba," they pulled the door open, revealing the dark tunnel behind the door. Inside, the tunnel walls were made out of nothing but bare dirt. The tunnel was curved downwards, allowing a small pound of water to build up inside. Neteru raised his staff and said, "_Aquno gondena asha_." The jewel on Neteru's staff glowed brightly as its magic surrounded the puddle. Right before his eyes, the water in the tunnel began to part, creating a clear path for the rebels to walk through.

With a clear path to the castle, the rebels prepared themselves for the journey into the tunnel.

"_Illumas_," said Neteru and the jewel on his staff glowed a bright light which illuminated the tunnel as he walked into it. Amy went into the tunnel first, followed by Neteru, the Ham-Hams, and then the rest of the rebels, all repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked down the tunnel. Guided by the light of Neteru's staff and a few held torches, the rebels walked single file through the small tunnel.

Inside the tunnel, it was dark and gloomy and the years of decay and flooding had caused the air to smell like a polluted sea. The water that had flooded the tunnel now lay along the side of the walls, held by Neteru's spell. A few curious ham-hams stuck their fingers into the water and was amazed at how it still had the same consistency as ordinary water. They traveled deep into the dark tunnel until they finally reached what appeared to be a brick wall. Amy placed both paws on the wall and began pushing on it, saying "Grooba" as she did. Slowly the wall began to swing open like a door, revealing the wall to be a hidden doorway into the castle. The Ham-Hams stepped out through the opening one by one. Once they were out in the open, they realized that the exit to the tunnel was located behind an old fire place and the door Amy had pushed open revealed to be in the back of the fire place. A quick glance of the surrounding environment told the Ham-Hams that they were in some kind of a fancy living room with large fancy carpets, expensive furniture, and paintings.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Tick.

"We need to sneak outside where the slaves are located," said Amy. "Since they wont expect us to come out through the castle, we should have the element of surprise on our side." Amy explained this as the rebels began to crowed into the room as they came in through the secret door one by one.

Outside of the castle, on the far shores of the island, many hapless ham-hams were toiling in the dry dirt, working hard to dig up something for their tyrannical masters. All the ham-hams were chained together or had chains around their own legs and arms. Each of these poor hamsters were put to work under the hot sun, digging up the earth and dragging heavy equipment. All the while, Belacqua's police force monitored the slaves, repeatedly shouting at them and whacking them with their whips. The Baroque Association watched the slaves work, smiling to themselves because they knew they have become so close to finally obtaining the Staff of Alabasta. Behind them, a shallow tunnel was burrowed into the side of a hill, leading all the way to an old stone door. The dirt that covered the door was hard and dry, making it difficult for the slaves to pick the door clean of dirt.

Meanwhile, the rebels began their assault by taking down every guard that was in their way. Mostly they used blowguns with darts tipped with a sedative that rendered the victims unconscious. After the guards were unconscious, their suits were be removed and they would be tied up so they couldn't escape when they wake up. The rebels sneaked through the hallways of the castle until they reached a hallway that led to the back entrance to the castle. The hallway had several windows that was pointing out behind the castle, enabling the rebels to see the slaves toweling in the fields. To prevent being seen through the window by the guards, they all crawled along the floor right under the window and out of sight.

Amy and the Ham-Hams reached the door leading out of the castle, waiting for further instructions from Amy.

"So what's the plan?" asked Howdy.

"You guys are going to use those guard uniforms we stole to sneak out there," explained Amy. "While outside, you must find the Baroque Association and once you find them, signal us with this mirror." Amy pulled from her pocket a small round mirror and gave it to Neteru. "Once we receive the signal, we will attack the guards while you guys keep the Baroque Association distracted. We will then come to your aid as soon as we have the guards vanquished."

"But how will you be able to defeat the guards?" asked Neteru.

"We out number Belacqua's forces by at least three to one," said Amy. "It's The Baroque Association itself we have to worry about since we have no way of combating all of them at once. You have to keep them away from us until we can attack The Baroque Association at full force."

"A bold plan, Amy," said Tick.

"I know," said Amy, "but it's the only one I got."

Tick and the Ham-Hams all slipped into the chainmail armor which was more tight fitting than they anticipated. They strapped on the guards' belts as well as the swords that were in the sheaths attached to the belt. They also attached the guards' oval shaped shields onto their arms. Once they were fully disguised, the Ham-Hams quietly and discretely walked through the back exit of the castle and walked through the barren fields where the slaves worked. The Ham-Hams repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked through the field, trying not pay too much attention to the slaves since it tugged at their heartstrings to see their fellow ham-hams suffer like this. Instead, they kept their focus on the primary target: Belacqua.

Belacqua and the Baroque Association watched in anticipation as the last of the rock covering the door was removed. Right there before them was an old stone door with ancient symbols written all over it. I was clearly one of the buried storage rooms left behind by the ancient inhabitants of the island. Eager to search inside for the Staff of Alabasta, Belacqua walked over to the door and gently pride it open with all the strength he could manage. The door was opened to as far as it could swing and then Belacqua stepped inside to claim his prize. The Baroque Association watched in anticipation for any word from Belacqua. After only two minutes, he stepped out of the storage room and said, "It's not in there."

"Heke?" chorused the Baroque Association in surprise.

"Are you sure?" asked Brigid.

"Positive, there is hardly anything in there," said Belacqua as he angrily kicked a nearby bucket.

"Perhaps this was the wrong spot," said Blade.

"This has to have been the spot," insisted Belacqua. "I was so sure of it." Belacqua angrily took his temper out on the dry dirt ground by striking it with a discarded pick ax.

As Belacqua continued to strike the ground in anger, the Ham-Hams came up from the side and hid behind some tall grass. Neteru used the mirror Amy had given him and by moving it at an angle where the sun light would strike the mirror, he signaled the others in the castle. At the castle, Neteru saw another flash of light, a signal from Amy that she got the message.

"Now, when Amy and her rebels come out, we strike on a full frontal assault on Belacqua," said Neteru. "Remember, our goal is to keep the Baroque Association away from the rebels until they've managed to contain the guards." The Ham-Hams pulled out their swords, ready for battle at a moments notice.

They didn't have to wait long because at that moment, there were some loud noises heard from the castle. Hamtaro stuck his head out of the tall grass and saw the rebels charging towards the guards. Shouts and noises could be heard as the rebels began attacking the guards with their swords and explosives. The noise obviously caught the attention of the Baroque Association.

"What's going on over there?" asked Belacqua.

"It appears we're under attack," said Squeaker.

"What?!" shouted Belacqua. "How did they breach our security?"

"I don't know but I say we knock them to the ground," said Helm.

Before they could charge for battle, Neteru pulled out his staff and shouted, "_Grolth ek gaw tez zeno eggath_." Suddenly, the short grass that was underneath the feet of the Baroque Association was beginning to grow out of control.

"What the...?" said Belacqua in surprise. The grass began wrapping themselves around the Baroque Association, binding them like living vines and holding their arms and legs. Blade's arms began to transform into long sharp blades which he viciously uses to cut his way free from the plants. Brigid was freezing the plants in ice while Flara burned her way through. Belacqua changed into a cloud of sand and easily escaped the grasp of the plants.

Belacqua changed from sand to his ham-ham form and stood there in front of the living grass, confronting the Ham-Hams who had their swords drawn ready for a fight.

"So, you are the interlopers that were seen invading my island," said Belacqua.

"This is not your island, not anymore," said Neteru.

"Oh, it's not?" asked Belacqua sarcastically. "And what makes you think that you can stop us?"

"Our determination to stop you is all we need," said Tick.

"If that's all you have, then you'll be dead before you know it," said Belacqua. At that point, the Baroque Association had managed to free themselves from the plants and gathered around their leader, ready to fight back. The Ham-Hams got themselves into a fighting stance as they prepared for a battle.

The Ham-Hams gave off a loud war cry as they charged towards the Baroque Association with their swords held high. Hamtaro's war cry was cut short when Ballun began to stretch his arms like a rubber band. His stretched arms grabbed Hamtaro by his chainmail armor and lifted him high into the air and dangled him helplessly over the heads of the Ham-Hams.

"Hey, let go," said Hamtaro. He swung his sword at the arm that held him but the arm bent in odd positions as it avoided the blade of the sword. Meanwhile, the rest of the Ham-Hams were having troubles of their own.

Squeaker had unleashed a loud sonic blast from his mouth that had knocked Howdy and Dexter off their feet. The two immediately covered their ears as they were met with the ear piercing screech but the force of the noise knocked them to the ground. The two laid on the ground, stunned by the sudden sonic blast. Before they could get up, Brigid began bombarding the two Ham-Hams with snow spewing from her mouth. With their metal suits, Howdy and Dexter began to freeze quickly.

"So cold," said Howdy.

"Oh, are you cold?" said Flara in fake concern. "Here, let me warm you up." From her finger tips, fire spewed towards Howdy and Dexter.

"Ouchichi," cried Howdy and Dexter as they leaped to their feet and ran off to avoid the hot flames. Flara laughed at them all the while.

Tick took on Blade and Helm but they were hard to defeat. Blade used the blades on his arms like an expert and his blades were sharp, causing cuts and scratches to appear on Tick's armor and shield. As for Helm, he had changed himself into a large metal figure, making him pervious to Tick's attacks and not only that, it made his metallic fists lethal weapons. Tick desperately fought back but Blade was easily overpowering him and Helm's metal body was bruising him under his chainmail suit. The fight became more desperate when Blade took a good swing at Tick's shield, cutting a long cash into it. Tick tried to take the opportunity to drive his own sword through Blade but he easily blocked Tick's sword and as he did, he also made another attack to Tick's shield. When Tick tried to run his sword through Blade, he had turned his shield away from Blade, enabling Blade to hit the back side of the shield with so much force, it actually knocked the shield out of Tick's grasp. The shield fell to the ground, bent and damaged. Now without his only protection, Tick continued to defend himself.

Tick held up his sword, futilely blocking Blade's repeated strikes upon it with his own undamaged blades. Tick could actually see the blade beginning to bend and dent by the repeated blows and Tick knew it wont be long before Blade would destroy his only weapon. Before he could formulate a plan, Helm struck Tick in the side, knocking him off balance. That single strike gave Blade the chance to strike at Tick's blade at full force, cutting the blade in half. Half of Tick's blade fell to the ground with a loud "clang." Now that Tick had no weapon, Helm striked Tick hard in the face. Tick fell to the ground, dazed and with a large red lump between his eyes.

Meanwhile, Neteru was fighting Belacqua.

"_Zaw zaw gligack_," said Neteru and from his staff, a sphere of electrical energy shot at Belacqua but Belacqua turned into a cloud of sand and the electricity pasted harmlessly through him. Belacqua, while in the form of a sand cloud, began to surround Neteru. To Neteru, the sensation of having sand particles fly around him was like standing in a sand storm with sand painfully striking his body in all directions. The sand was getting into Neteru's eyes and mouth, making it hard to see or breath. Fighting the urge to spit out the sand flying into his mouth, Neteru shouted, "_Gegorrak auch_." A strong wind was conjured which blew the small dust storm off of him but Belacqua effortlessly changed back into his hamster form before being carried far by the wind. Neteru was about to make another strike but Squeaker immediately opened his mouth and once again, he produced a loud high pitch screech that struck Neteru head on. The force of the loud noise painfully passed through Neteru as if he was being ripped apart one cell at a time. Neteru hit the ground hard, his ears ringing. As he laid there, he heard the sound of footsteps walking towards him. Neteru slowly opened his eyes and saw Jasmine looking down upon him.

"Look into my eyes," said Jasmine in a somewhat mystical voice and Neteru felt compelled to obey. Little did he know that Jasmine had activated her hypnotic powers, causing her eyes to swirl like black and white paint being stirred together. By looking into Jasmine's eyes, Neteru was put under hypnosis and he laid still as he stared out into space like a zombie.

Belacqua grinned evilly as he watched Neteru lying there helplessly. He turned his attention back to the rest of the Ham-Hams who were also getting their butts kicked. Helm and Blade held Tick pinned to the ground, Brigid and Flara had Howdy and Dexter covered in ice, their fur singed and frozen all at once. The ice bounded their arms and legs, hindering their movement. As for Hamtaro, Ballun still held him with one arm that was stretched high off the ground. With a sinister idea growing in his mind, Neteru told Jasmine, "Order Neteru to use a 'Rope Bind' spell upon Howdy and Dexter." At first she hesitated but a wide smile crossed Jasmine's face as she realized what Belacqua was planning. She immediately ordered Neteru onto his feet and, like a puppet, he stood up without question.

"Helm, Blade, toss your captive towards the two frozen in ice," ordered Belacqua. Helm easily picked up the struggling Tick with one paw and he immediately tossed him at Howdy and Dexter. Tick fought and struggled desperately but it was no good as he was tossed. Upon impact, some of the ice shattered as Tick smashed into them, scattering ice shards everywhere. Howdy and Dexter sat on the ground, shivering violently.

"Neteru, use your 'Rope Bind' spell on your three companions," ordered Jasmine. Neteru obeyed.

"_Repodoarock_," said Neteru. From his staff, a blue rope shot out and began to bind itself around Howdy, Dexter, and Tick, tying them together.

"N-N-Neteru, w-what ar-re you-u doo in-n?" asked Howdy as he shivered with the cold.

"Sorry but he's under my control," said Jasmine. "Neteru, go over to your friends." Neteru repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as he walked over to the Ham-Hams and stood next to them like a stiff statue.

"Oh no, Neteru is hypnotized," thought Hamtaro to himself as he lay dangling at the end of Ballun's stretched arm.

"Hey, let go of me you creep," demanded Hamtaro.

"Quite, you," said Ballun and with that, his right arm stretched forwards and began to wrap themselves around Hamtaro's body, binding his arms like an anaconda. As the arm enclosed itself around Hamtaro, it caused him to drop his sword and shield which fell to the ground. Now, instead of Hamtaro being held by a single paw, he was now wrapped in a single arm with no weapon at his disposal. Ballun began to tighten his grip on Hamtaro, crushing him like a snake. Hamtaro frantically kicked his legs as they dangled off the ground.

"I'll have the pleasure of killing you myself," said Ballun with an evil grin.

As Hamtaro was slowly getting crushed to death, the members of the Baroque Association were backing away from the Ham-Hams, except for Bonga who stood beside the bound Ham-Hams and the hypnotized Neteru. Hamtaro was carried with Ballun as he kept his distance from the Ham-Hams.

"What are you going to do to us?" asked Tick, trying not to show any fear in his voice.

"I possess the Explosion Stone," explained Bonga, "granting me the power blow up like a bomb but not cause any harm to myself. It's a good way of destroying your enemies." Upon hearing what Bonga was going to do, Hamtaro frantically fought to break free but Ballun was beginning to tighten his grip, further hindering Hamtaro's ability to breath and move. Hamtaro watched in horror as Bonga's body began to glow red as he charged up to explode. Hamtaro frantically searched for some way of escaping but the only part of his body that wasn't restricted was his legs and mouth. It was then that he had an idea. It was a dangerous one but it was the only one he had: He was going to bite his way out.

Hamtaro bit down hard upon Ballun's arm.

"Ouchichi," cried Ballun in surprise. Out of reflexes, Ballun flung Hamtaro, releasing his grip on Hamtaro and causing him to fly through the air. Hamtaro flew through the air and struck Bonga before he could explode, breaking his concentration and canceling the attempted attack.

"Ouchichi," said Hamtaro and Bonga as they got up onto their feet.

"Why you little brat," shouted Ballun in anger. "I'll throttle you," Ballun's arms began to stretch like a band as he reached for Hamtaro. Thinking fast, Hamtaro grabbed Howdy's shield and sword and held them both up defensively. Ballun's paw was stretching so fast that it struck Hamtaro's shield hard.

"Ow," cried Ballun as he shook his throbbing paw in pain.

"Why you..." said Flara threateningly before she fired a fire ball from her mouth. Hamtaro gave off a cry of surprise as he held up the shield to blocked the oncoming attack. The fire ball struck the shield, dispersing the fire harmlessly in all directions. Angered, Belacqua shouted, "That's it, I'm going to take you down myself." Belacqua turned into a cloud of sand and then he charged towards Hamtaro who futilely held up his shield to protect himself.

Meanwhile, the fight between the rebels and the guards was going along smoothly. Despite their armor and their swords, the police force of Belacqua were dropping like flies. As the slaves were being released from the guards' control, the slaves began fighting along side the rebels. It was Amy's clever idea to have her troops carry extra swords so that they could be given to the slaves as they were freed. The battle had gone on for only fifteen minutes and already it looked like they were going to overpower the guards in no time. Amy had managed to work her way through the battle until she reached the Baroque Association. They stood about a yard away, all of them gathered together as they watched Belacqua attacking Hamtaro. The sand cloud form of Belacqua was surrounding Hamtaro in its dust and Hamtaro was futilely swinging at the sand particles with his sword. The Baroque Association was cheering Belacqua on as they watched.

Amy grinned to herself as she realized this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. She took off her necklace and held up the green stone attached to it in her paw. She ran towards the Baroque Association and as she ran, she recited a poem.

"From fire to earth, from sea to air. Bind the foes who stand there. With the power of the stones, I bind to me. Imprison these traitors for all eternity." Naturally, the Baroque Association turned their attention to Amy as she ran down the hill shouting but as she recited the poem, the stone began to glow brightly. Amy stopped in her tracks in front of the Baroque Association and held the glowing stone into the air. At first, the Baroque Association didn't know what was happening until they realized that their stones were glowing. Suddenly, without warning, the Baroque Association found their arms and legs beginning to grow stiff.

"I can't move," said Blade.

"What's happening to us?" asked Jasmine. As their bodies began to grow more stiff, they watched themselves in horror as they saw themselves being whisked off the ground as if they were made of dust. The Baroque Association changed from solid hamsters into a cloud of colors and like a vacuum, Amy's stone was sucking up the cloud until it was completely absorbed, imprisoned inside. Once the cloud was sucked up, there was now nothing left of the Baroque Association except for their stones which lay on the ground abandoned.

Belacqua changed into his hamster form as he realized what had happened. Hamtaro stopped swinging his sword, exhausted by the repeated attacks of all that sand. Now with Jasmine gone, Neteru was freed from her control and began shaking his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.

"Where am I?" asked Neteru. "Last thing I knew, I had my butt kicked by Belacqua."

"Hey Neteru, you mind letting us out of here?" asked Tick who was still tied up with the others. Realizing that his friends needed his help, he said the counterspell that dispelled the rope. Once the rope evaporated, the Ham-Hams were freed and Belacqua found himself surrounded.

It's over Belacqua," said Amy as she threateningly held up her rock. "You are defeated and now you will join your Baroque Association."

"But what have you done to the Association?" asked Belacqua.

"Do you remember this, Belacqua?" asked Amy who pointed at the stone. "This is the Prison Stone, the only stone you did not take from the dead king. This stone was specially designed just in case the other stones was used against the crown. With this stone, I can imprison anyone in possession of the stones inside this one where they will remain until released. Since there is no escape, surrender quietly."

"Never," said Belacqua. With that, he changed into a sand cloud and began flying into the air but Neteru shouted, "_Gribus totala_." The spelled telekinetically forced Belacqua to the ground. He changed back into his ham-ham form, fighting the Binding Spell Neteru had put on him. As he struggled, Amy held up her stone and said, "From fire to earth, from sea and air. Bind the foes who stand there. With the power of the stones, I bind to me. Imprison these traitors for all eternity." As before, Belacqua's stone glowed as he was put under the power of Amy's Prison Stone. Belacqua turned into a dust-like cloud, just like what happened to the Baroque Association, and he was being sucked into the stone.

"I'll be back," was Belacqua's last words as the last of him was sucked into the stone.

The remainder of Belacqua's troops had quickly been defeated and chained using the same chains that bounded the slaves they were controlling just earlier before. The Ham-Hams were all tended for by the other rebels. Dexter and Howdy were given a warm blanket and hot cocoa, warming their frozen bodies. Hamtaro, Neteru, and Tick's injuries were treated by the medics. Kaiu had been brought to his father from the headquarters where he anxiously sat next to him and begged Neteru to tell him what happened. Neteru didn't have much to tell since half the time, he was hypnotized and couldn't remember a thing about what happened in that time.

As Neteru told his son everything he could remember about today's mission, Hamtaro chanced a glance at the old storage room. The door to the old room was still wide open, left by the Baroque Association when they were searching for the Staff of Alabasta. Hamtaro stared down into the dark storage room and inside, something gold colored caught his eye. It shined a little as the sun's rays passed through the open door and struck the gold object. Curious, Hamtaro got onto his feet and walked towards the open door. Howdy was finishing his hot cocoa when he noticed Hamtaro walking away.

"Hey Hamtaro, where are you going?" asked Howdy but Hamtaro didn't respond to him.

"Where's he going, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"I don't know, son," said Neteru. "Lets find out." The Ham-Hams all got back onto their feet and followed Hamtaro.

Hamtaro walked into the dark storage room and searched amongst a pile of rags where he saw the gold. He tossed the rags aside one by one as he searched through them. The Ham-Hams stood at the entrance, blocking out what little light came through the opening.

"Hamtaro, what are you doing?" asked Neteru. Hamtaro didn't answer until he found what he was looking for and picked it up.

"You wont believe what I had found," said Hamtaro as he stood up. Hamtaro turned around and revealed a large gold object in his paw and even in the dim light, they could make out the object's unusual pie slice shape and instantly, they new that this was a Caidoz piece.

"No way!" said Kaiu in surprise.

"Well I'll be a monkey's cousin, that's the Caidoz piece we've been looking for," said Howdy.

"But how did it get here?" asked Tick.

"Who cares, we got it," said Dexter.

"Yeah, and now we can take it home and save Neanna," said Hamtaro excitedly.

"Come on, Hamtaro, activate it," said Kaiu.

"Okay," said Hamtaro. Without hesitating, he placed his paw on the piece and recited the poem. "I am the sun, I am the moon. I am the clear blue sea. A gift from the stars, a gift to all. May this piece show it's sign to me." Instantly, the Caidoz piece glowed a golden color that lit up the otherwise dark storage room. Right before their eyes, a symbol began to engrave itself upon the piece in a golden light. The symbol resembled an upside down "U" but the left tip was curled almost completely into a circle while the right tip was only curled slightly. This symbol was the zodiacal sign of Leo, Hamtaro's zodiac sign. As soon as the piece stopped glowing, Amy showed up to the entrance to the storage room.

"Hey guys, the castle is now open and we can go inside," said Amy.

"Certainly," said Neteru and the Ham-Hams walked out of the strange room and followed Amy. As he walked, Hamtaro placed the piece into his back pack, hiding away safe and sound.

The Ham-Hams followed Amy into the castle, walking through its long halls and into the same room where the Baroque Association were talking about the Ham-Hams' unexpected arrival. In the room was Hugo the butler. He saw Amy enter the room and immediately, he ran to her side and said, "Princess Amionna, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Hugo, I've missed you so much," said Amy as she gave him a hug. There was a silence from the Ham-Hams as they watched this display in confusion.

"Heke?" said Howdy in confusion. "You mean you're Princess Amionna? The same Princess who disappeared after the king and queen was killed?"

"I prefer to be called 'Amy' for short," said Amy with a smile.

"Atata," chorussed the Ham-Hams.

"I apologize for my dissipation but it was necessary that I hide my identity for my protection and the protection of my stone," explained Amy. "You see, my parents gave me one of the Prison Stone for safe keeping." Amy held up the stone she was wearing to show the Ham-Hams. "The stone was meant as a back up and only a royal family member of the king and queen can use this stone. I've had this stone for a long time and my parents entrusted me to protect it. When they were killed, I fled the castle and disguised myself as a commoner for my protection. I slowly began to form a rebellion against Belacqua and the Baroque Association and I've been its leader."

"Since you were the princess, you must have known about that secret tunnel into the castle all along?" asked Neteru.

"Sure did," said Amy.

"But if you had the stone all this time, how come you never used it before?" asked Hamtaro.

"It only works at a short distance and I've never been able to get close to the Baroque Association until now," said Amy.

"Well, you've done a hamsterrific job of defeating Belacqua," said Hamtaro kindly.

"Thanks but today wouldn't have been a victory without you guys," said Amy.

"What will become of your kingdom?" asked Neteru.

"Now that my parents are dead, I remain as the only heiress to the throne," said Amy. "I'm going to rebuild this island back to its former glory."

"Well, maybe Halastia can help," suggested Tick. "Halastia has been wanting to add your kingdom as part of the Halastian government and they had sent me as an ambassador to negotiate a deal. If you agree to allow your country to be a part of ours, we will grant your island protection and all the rights Halastia has to offer. Not to mention you will become the first governor of Drumstone. What do you say?" Amy put a finger to her lip in thought.

"Intriguing proposition," said Amy. "How about we discuss the matter over dinner."

"Can we all join because I'm starving?" asked Hamtaro.

"Certainly," said Amy. The Ham-Hams cheered with joy and with more reasons to cheer than just a free dinner. They have saved an island from enslavement and best of all, they have the final Caidoz piece. Their journey is over.


	14. Glabrezu’s Plan is Revealed

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 14: Glabrezu's Plan is Revealed

After lying for two weeks unattended and vacant, the Clubhouse was once again filled with life and activity as the five teams came home one by one. The exhausted Ham-Hams all gathered around inside the Clubhouse, having a victory feast in celebration for the collection of the Caidoz pieces. Seeds and acorns were spread out everywhere as the Ham-Hams gathered around for a feast. As they ate, they waited in anticipation for Daruth and Harmony to return so they could connect the Caidoz pieces into one. All ten of the Caidoz pieces were laid out in a pile in the center of the large round table, their zodiac signs glowing in a large variety of colors. The Ham-Hams gathered in groups so they could exchange stories about their adventure. Teams One, Two, and Four sat in a large circle talking to each other about their adventures.

"I tell you, Cade and Ilde was zee cutest couple I've ever seen," said Bijou as she finished her story about what happened when they visited the tribe.

"Wow, I never knew you were so good at bringing couples together," said Sandy.

"I guess eet's a gift," said Bijou. "I just wish we could've stayed for zee wedding." Sandy was sitting next to Maxwell and she soon noticed that he appeared a little nervous and he was hiding something behind his back.

"Maxwell, what's wrong?" asked Sandy. Maxwell seemed startled by hearing Sandy's voice and in response, he just stared at her as if he was afraid of her. "Are you okay? You look nervous."

"Well, I guess it's now or never," thought Maxwell to himself. All eyes were on Maxwell as he turned to face Sandy.

"Sandy, I have a gift for you," said Maxwell before rubbing his head out of nervousness, repeating "Kushi-Kushi" as he did. After rubbing himself for a minute, Maxwell worked up the nerve to reveal the gold necklace he had won in the Bungi Day Carnival. He had been holding the necklace behind his back. "I won it at the carnival, I hope you like it." Sandy seemed speechless upon seeing the gift.

"Maxwell, it's beautiful," said Sandy as she took the necklace from Maxwell's paws and put it around her neck. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," said Maxwell.

"Thank you so much," said Sandy as she and Maxwell hugged each other, repeating "Schmubby-Wubby" as they did. As the two hugged, Stan sat next to Sandy and was displaying his disgust by pretending to gag.

Meanwhile, Team Three and Five were sitting in a group and they too were exchanging stories. Kaiu was next to his mother, wanting to tell his mom about his adventure with Neteru.

"You should have seen it, Mommy," said Kaiu. "Daddy just blew Glabrezu off his feet and then he pound him to the ground." Mara laughed at the sight of her son's enthusiasm.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe and it sounds like you were a good boy the whole time," said Mara. "I'm proud of you." Mara lovingly wrapped her arms around Kaiu and kissed him on the forehead. Normally, little boys wouldn't tolerate being kissed and hugged by their mothers like this but Kaiu was difference since he didn't mind his mom being this affectionate to him. As Mara hugged her son, Neteru began telling her about what happened on Drumstone, detailing the Baroque Association, Amy, and the fight he and the rebels were in. When he was done, Mara asked, "So what's going to happened to Drumstone?"

"After discussing the matter over dinner, Princess Amy agreed that joining Halastia would be a valuable asset to her country," said Neteru. "She's agreed to give the country to Halastia and Tick remained with her so they could discuss how they were going to do it."

"That's good to hear," said Mara.

"By the way, Oxnard just told me that you guys got to visit Soshi," said Neteru. "How are things going for her?"

"Oh she's doing fine," said Mara. "She had married a handsome young ham-ham named Kitsu and the two had an adorable baby girl together named Kuni. You should have seen her, she was such a sweetie."

"Aw, I wish I could have seen her," said Neteru as he tried to imagine what Soshi's baby would look like.

At that moment, the door to the Clubhouse burst open suddenly, startling the Ham-Hams out of their conversations, and standing in the open door was none other than Daruth and Harmony.

"Hamha, we're back," said Harmony kindly.

"Hey guys, did you find the Sidereal Palace?" asked Hamtaro.

"Finding it was harder than we thought but we succeeded none the less," said Daruth. Upon hearing the news, the Ham-Hams all leaped to their feet and began to gather around Daruth, eager to hear more. The most enthusiastic of the Ham-Hams was Hamtaro who was literally jumping up and down in celebration as he said, "Hamtastic, now we can go save Neanna."

"Hold on, Hamtaro, we still need all the Caidoz pieces," said Harmony.

"Don't worry, we have 'em right here," said Howdy as he pointed to the table where all the Caidoz pieces were piled. Daruth eagerly ran to the table, repeating "Badda-Badda" as he ran, so he could get a good look at the Caidoz pieces.

"Hamsterrific, it looks like you've got all of them and they've been activated, too," said Daruth.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Harmony. "Lets get these pieces back together."

One by one, the Caidoz pieces were put together side by side alongside the Capricorn and Aquarius pieces which Daruth had already put together earlier. Maxwell and Daruth monitored the arrangement of the pieces because they had to fit in the correct order. The Caidoz pieces were gradually fitted together on the table, their symbols glowing like Christmas lights.

"Okay everyone, stand back," said Daruth and all the Ham-Hams stepped away from the Caidoz pieces, not sure what was about to happen. Daruth placed his paws upon the pieces and began to recite out loud a verse that would combined the pieces. "I join these pieces to each other so they can draw power from one another." Once the verse was finished, all twelve of the Caidoz pieces began to glow a bright orange light which filled the room. With all twelve pieces together, the light they were generating was incredibly hot, almost like a fire. The light got brighter and brighter as the magic of the Caidoz pieces unleashed its magical energy. The strange surge of magical power only lasted for ten seconds before the light went out suddenly, allowing the Ham-Hams to see the new form of the Caidoz pieces. All twelve pieces have merged into one large solid piece with no creases or lines that indicated where the Caidoz pieces were once apart.

With the Caidoz pieces now together, they formed what appeared to be a dial of some kind. It was relatively flat and along its edge was the twelve zodiac symbols (all glowing an orange glow) arranged like the numbers of a clock face. Attached to the center of the dial was a raised cylinder of some kind. The Ham-Hams cautiously approached the Caidoz pieces, wondering what its new shape is supposed to be.

"Hey, wait a minute, I thought you said that the Caidoz pieces was supposed to form a key so we could unlock the door to the Sidereal Palace," said Howdy to Daruth.

"Perhaps this is a key but not in the tradition sense," suggested Daruth. Curious, Neteru picked up the large golden dial which was heavier then he expected since it now had the combined weight of twelve Caidoz pieces. He turned the dial over and discovered that the cylinder in the middle was hallow, creating a large square shaped hole in the middle of the dial as if the cylinder was a cup.

"I think Daruth may be right," said Neteru. "It appears this is supposed to fit onto something."

"You could be right but we wont know for certain how to use the Caidoz pieces unless we go to the Sidereal Palace and find out," said Maxwell.

"Great, when will we be leaving?" asked Daruth.

"Immediately," said Neteru.

"Immediately?" repeated Boss in surprise, followed by a few gasps and complaints by some of the Ham-Hams.

"But we just got back from a long journey of finding those Caidoz pieces, why can't we take a break first?" asked Oxnard.

"Because Glabrezu is still after the Caidoz pieces and now that we have them all in one place, anyone can use them," said Neteru. "We must get to the Sidereal Palace quickly before Glabrezu and Spat finds us."

"He's right," agreed Mara. "We must get to the Sidereal Place before they do."

"Yeah, lets go," said Kaiu as he hopped up and down happily, knowing that he was going on another adventure with his father.

With another journey ahead of them, the Ham-Hams packed their back packs once again for a trip to the Sidereal Palace. Fortunately, according to Daruth, the hike to the Sidereal Palace will only take a few hours. Surprisingly, the palace is actually located not far from where they lived. It was inside a forest located west of their home town. An unexplored territory for the Ham-Hams since their adventures took them east of their town. With the fate of the human and Ham-Ham race at stake, they walked through the forests, avoiding all the predators and natural obstacles that got in their way. All the while, Boss carried the heavy Caidoz key on his back, the weight of it baring down upon him.

"Can't we stop for a break, this thing is getting heavy," said Boss out of breath. Neteru, who was located towards the front of the group, turned his attention to Boss and realized that he did seem hot and sweaty.

"Okay, we'll take a break," said Neteru and the Ham-Hams all sat down to rest their tired feet.

Kaiu sat next to his parents as he waited anxiously for Mara to pull out a seed for him to eat.

"Daddy, when Neanna is freed, will she improve the world?" asked Kaiu as he waited.

"I'm sure she will," said Neteru. "She was the one who created all life on this planet and before she was in the Astral Plane, she was the goddess to the ham-hams of the world."

"Wow, that's so cool," said Kaiu. At that point, Mara managed to find a sun flower seed and gave it to Kaiu who immediately scarfed it down as if he was starving to death. As Kaiu ate, Neteru began scanning the area as if he was expecting someone.

"What's wrong?" asked Mara.

"I'm looking for Glabrezu and Spat," said Neteru. "I can't help but wonder where they are right now."

"They could be anywhere," said Mara.

"That's why we need to be careful," said Neteru. "The fate of the world is in our paws."

After a well deserved rest, the Ham-Hams continued their endless march through the forest. The hours sunk into the afternoon and still there was no sign of the Sidereal Palace. Daruth and Harmony led the team through the forest. Although they kept reassuring that they knew where they were going but even Neteru was feeling skeptical about that claim. The Ham-Hams were eventually led up a steep hill, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" slowly as they tiredly trudges up the side of the hill. Sweat covered the Ham-Hams' bodies as they tiredly worked their way up the hill.

"Oh, I can't go on much longer," said Oxnard out of breath.

"Me neither," said Kana.

"Well, you should be glad you don't have to carry this huge key," said Boss as he shouldered the heavy collection of Caidoz pieces.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," said Harmony, overhearing the complaints.

"Yep, the palace is right on top of this hill," reassured Daruth. Tired, the Ham-Hams continued to hike up the steep hill, determined to reach the palace.

One by one, the Ham-Hams climbed up to the top of the hill with great relief upon reaching it. All the Ham-Hams were expecting to see a large beautiful building or an old beaten up stone structure in front of them when they reached the top of the hill but what they did see, they did not expect. The top of the hill was completely devoid of anything. All there was to see on the top of the hill was a bare patch of land and a single rock in the middle.

"Well, here we are," said Daruth. "The Sidereal Palace."

"Uh, Daruth, there's nothing here," said Sandy.

"Yeah, except for a rock," agreed Stan.

"Only to the untrained eye," said Daruth with a smile as he approached the rock. "It took me days to figure it out but I soon discovered how to find the Sidereal Palace. According to my information, it said 'The Palace has been hidden from view and can only be revealed by the combined Caidoz pieces. To reveal the Sidereal Palace, you need to find a landmark that shows the middle of the sky.' The clue didn't make much sense to me at first and after days of searching, I finally found out where the symbol was and it's right here."

"Where is it?" asked Neteru.

"Come here and I'll show you," said Daruth. Curious, Neteru walked over to the rock where Daruth stood with the Ham-Hams following close behind.

Neteru examined the rock and right there on the rock were several millimeter sized holes that were drilled into the rock. One hole had been placed directly on top of the rock amongst other groups of holes.

"Don't you see it?" asked Daruth.

"See what?" asked Neteru.

"These holes represent stars," said Daruth. "You can easily see it because their positions form The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper. One group of holes forms the unmistakable shape of The Big Dipper." Surprised, Neteru turned his gaze back to the stone and upon closer inspection, he realized that the holes formed the shape of the two most famous constellations in the sky. His attention was drawn back to Daruth as he spoke up again. "When I first saw this, I wondered what it all meant. As I thought about it, I suddenly remembered something from my years of studying astronomy. It's a known fact you can find the North Star by following the two stars that make up the front of the Dipper, also known as the Pointer Stars. By following those same two holes in the rock, you can easily see that the position of the Pointer Stars are pointing towards the end of the Little Dipper's handle. The star that makes up the tip of the Little Dipper is Polaris, our current North Star. The North Star is what the clue meant when it said 'center of the night sky' meaning that the Sidereal Place is right here."

"Wow, zat's brilliant," said Bijou.

"I have to admit, you're very observant but how are we going to reveal the Sidereal Palace from here?" asked Neteru.

"That is where the Caidoz pieces are needed," said Daruth. "Boss, could you please hand me the Caidoz pieces." Boss gladly handed the combined Caidoz pieces to Daruth who took the heavy object and carried it to the stone.

Daruth carefully held the key over the stone, aligning the center of the dial with the hole that represented the North Star. Once it was properly positioned, Daruth let go of the dial and miraculously, it began to hover over the rock like a UFO. The Ham-Hams stared in amazement at the floating dial.

"We better stand back," said Daruth as he directed the Ham-Hams to back away from the stone. Suddenly, there was an earthquake that began to shake the ground underneath their feet.

"What's happening?" asked Penelope but before anyone could answer her, the rock began to lift out of the ground as something very large under it began to rise up from beneath the Earth. The Ham-Hams repeated "Badda-Badda" as they ran in all directions to avoid the large structure that was rising out of the ground like bamboo. Chunks of dirt was flying everywhere and the Ham-Hams were lifting up their arms to protect themselves from the down poor of dirt and rocks. Once the earthquake had ceased and the falling rocks had stopped, the Ham-Hams cautiously walked towards the structure that stood before them.

"What is it?" asked Kaiu curiously.

"That is the Sidereal Palace," said Daruth. The Ham-Hams were amazed by the beauty of the structure. For something that had been buried underground for thousands of years, the palace was in good condition. It was made out of a stone that had been painted bright gold which shined brightly as the afternoon sun shined on it. The palace was square in shape and the exterior was covered in pictures of constellations and zodiac symbols as well as fancy moldings that formed the intricate and beautiful patterns that decorated the palace along its edges. The stone that was originally sticking out of the ground was actually a part of the main entrance where large golden colored double doors could be seen. The Caidoz key to the palace remained suspended over the rock until it eventually drifted to the ground in front of the door.

"Now what do we do?" asked Panda.

"I don't see any knobs that will enable us to open this huge door," said Maxwell.

"I guess we have to use the key to unlock it," said Cappy.

"But how do we use the key?" asked Mara. As the Ham-Hams were busy giving suggestions as to how to open the palace, Neteru stared at the door, looking for clues, when he suddenly noticed a circler indentation on one of the doors. In the middle of the indentation was a rectangle of some kind which was sticking out of the door. Neteru remembered that there was a square hole on the back of the dial. On a hunch, he picked up the key and carried it to the rectangle.

"Neteru, what are you doing?" asked Mara.

"I think the Caidoz pieces fit here," suggested Neteru as he lifted the Caidoz pieces to the rectangle and began to push the dial's hole around the rectangle on the door. Amazingly, it fit, allowing Neteru to push the rectangle into the Caidoz pieces.

"Why didn't I think of that?" said Daruth. Seeing that he seemed to be on the right track, Neteru began pushing the dial further along the rectangle and when the dial was pushed all the way into the wall, the palace immediately lit up like a Christmas tree. Neteru jumped back in surprise as all the symbols and drawings on the palace lit up in a bright orange light, revealing that the magic of the Sidereal Palace had been activated.

The Ham-Hams watched in amazement as words began to engrave themselves along the double doors in the same way the zodiac signs appeared on the Caidoz pieces. The words were listed side by side and they read:

_Daruth, Kylie, Kana, Travis, Roberto, Mara, Moonbeam, Laura, June, Terra._

The hamans watched in amazement as their own names were being drawn along the door.

"What is this all about?" asked Laura.

"Why are our names up there?" asked Roberto.

"My information said that the Caidoz pieces work like a lock to enter the correct combination of zodiac signs," said Daruth. "I don't know for certain what that means, though." Looking for answers, Neteru once again turned his attention to the Caidoz pieces and by looking at them, he noticed that right above the indentation where the Caidoz pieces were fitted into, there was an upside-down triangle that was pointing down upon the indentation like an arrow. With the combined Caidoz pieces in the indentation, Neteru realized that it looked like the dial to a combination lock.

Curious, Neteru grabbed the protruding cylinder on the dial and then attempted to rotate it and to his surprise, the dial actually turned. The Ham-Hams watched in amazement as Neteru turned the dial effortlessly.

"Hey Daddy, how are you doing?" asked Kaiu.

"It appears that this dial can turn," said Neteru. "I bet that the creators of the Caidoz pieces intended the combined Caidoz pieces to work like a combination lock. By using zodiac signs instead of numbers, I think we're supposed to enter the combination in the same way you would with a combination lock."

"Why that's a brilliant suggestion but what combination should we put in?" asked Moonbeam.

"It's all written right there," said Neteru as he pointed to the names magically carved into the door. "I think we're supposed to enter the combination in the order of the zodiac signs of the people listed here. For example, the first name on that list is Daruth. Daruth, what is your zodiac sign?"

"Huh, Taurus," said Daruth. Neteru clasped the dial firmly and began to turn it clockwise. He rotated the dial a few times in order to reset it and then he turned until the zodiac sign of Taurus stopped under the pointing triangle.

"Okay, next on the list is Kylie," said Neteru. "Kylie, what's your zodiac sign?"

"Me?" asked Kylie. "It's Cancer." Neteru turned the dial counterclockwise until it came to a stop on the zodiac sign of Cancer.

"Kana, what's your zodiac sign?" asked Neteru as he read off the name of the next person on the list.

"It's Pisces," said Kana. Neteru turned the dial clockwise again until he stopped at Pisces.

One by one, the names were gone through the list and their zodiac signs were entered into the combination. Next on the list was Travis who's zodiac sign was Leo. This was followed by Roberto (Aries), Mara (Virgo), Moonbeam (Libra), Laura (Scorpio), and ending with Terra who was an Aquarius. as soon as the final zodiac sign was entered into the combination, the door to the palace automatically began to open. The large doors squeaked and rumbled as they slowly opened. The doors swung wide open, allow the Ham-Hams to see inside.

The interior of the Sidereal Palace was made up of the same gold painted stones as the exterior and it was covered in the same gold colored symbols. The Palace stretched on for about another yard before it ended with a large stone structure in the back.

"Amazing," said Daruth breathlessly.

"What is?" asked Harmony.

"Everything," said Daruth. "I mean the fact that the ancients were clever enough to build a lock system based off of the zodiac. It makes total sense. Astronomy is the oldest science on Earth."

"Oldie, did we come all this way to admire the craftsmanship of the temple or did we come to free Neanna?" said Howdy sarcastically.

"Howdy, for once, I agree with you," said Dexter.

"Yeah, lets get in there," said Hamtaro.

"Last one there is a gerbil," said Kaiu as he sprinted into the Sidereal Palace, repeating "Badda-Badda" as he ran. The Ham-Hams followed the energetic child into the temple, unaware of the two sinister looking figures who stood in the shadows.

The Ham-Hams gathered in the back of the Palace and there, they saw a large structure of some kind. The structure appeared to be a large metal triangle which was flat and stood strait up on its own accord. The triangle was no more than half an inch thick and it stood about a foot tall. The material used to build the structure appeared to be a strange gray metal which had a dull shine to it. Along the rim of the triangle was a border with some kind of hieroglyphs written on it. It was clear to the Ham-Hams that this huge chunk of metal must be the portal that leads to the Astral Plane. On the floor were two dials, just like the one the Caidoz pieces formed, only the dials had glowing green zodiac signs instead of orange ones. Daruth approached the triangle and began running his paw along its surface.

"Amazing," said Daruth in astonishment. "This portal had been constructed out of meteorites."

"Meteorites?" said Sandy. "But aren't those rocks that fell from outer space?"

"Yes but meteorites can also be metal," explained Daruth. "Meteorites have been used for centuries as tools to travel through the Astral Plane. Since meteorites are the only materials on Earth that were forged in space, meteorites naturally are perfect for manipulating the energies of the Astral Plane even the magic of the outer space itself."

"That's great and all but how do we get this portal open?" asked Pashmina.

"I don't know," admitted Daruth.

"Heke?" chorused the Ham-Hams.

"But what about all those clues you received?" asked Hamtaro.

"It didn't mention that there was going to be some kind of a combination lock to activate the portal," said Daruth.

"Zere's got to be a way," said Bijou.

"Perhaps we need to enter our own zodiac signs again," suggested Cappy.

"Good suggestion, Cappy, but a wrong one none the less," said a dark and sinister voice from right behind the Ham-Hams. Everyone turned around in surprise and to their horror, Glabrezu stood right behind them and next to him was Spat who held up his pitch fork menacingly.

Neteru, Mara, Terra, Moonbeam, and Harmony immediately pushed their way through the crowd of Ham-Hams so they could get in-between the Ham-Hams and Glabrezu. They held up their staffs in a defensive manor (except for Terra who had no staff and Harmony who used her wand) and glared at Glabrezu in anticipation for a fight. Glabrezu was unaffected by their approach. Infact, he looked pleased to be seeing them. In his paw, he held a staff that the Ham-Hams had never seen before. the Staff was bright red in color and was even taller than Glabrezu. It appeared to have been made out of hamster bones that had been glued together end to end and then had hamster skin stretched over it then painted red. Neteru, Mara, Moonbeam, Harmony, and Terra could all sense the negative vibrations that came from the staff and it caused the fur on the back of their necks to stand on end every time they even laid eyes upon it.

"Get out of here, Glabrezu," said Neteru. "We got here before you."

"Or so you think," said Glabrezu. "The fact is, I've been waiting for you Ham-Hams to come here all day."

"What do you mean?" asked Neteru.

"You fool, I'm the reason you're all here in the first place," said Glabrezu.

"Heke?!" chorused the Ham-Hams in shock.

"That's right, I've been using all of you to get me into the Sidereal Palace," said Glabrezu. "You see, in order to use the Caidoz pieces, we needed at least twelve people to activate them," said Glabrezu. "Since Spat and I are not naturally born with a zodiac sign, neither of us could activate the Caidoz pieces. So we had to find others who we could manipulate into activating the Caidoz pieces for us and who would be the perfect candidates than the Ham-Hams. With so many Ham-Hams, there was obviously a diverse collection of zodiac signs, enough to activate all twelve Caidoz pieces. Since the Ham-Hams are so eager to help others, it was easy to trick you all into finding and activating the Caidoz pieces for us. It took years of planning and research but we succeeded."

Many mouths dropped open in shock and horror as they realized they had all been pawns in Glabrezu's evil scheme. Even Harmony couldn't believe what she was hearing but no one was as shocked as Neteru was. On his way to Halastia, it occurred to Neteru that Glabrezu would have used others to activate the Caidoz pieces for him but not once did he suspect that he and the Ham-Hams were those "others" Glabrezu was using.

"Yes, it wasn't easy," said Glabrezu. "We knew the secrets of the Caidoz and the Sidereal Palace but it took over three years to find the remaining pieces. Once we did, we worked on ways of convincing the Ham-Hams into finding them. First, we had to find some way to indirectly give the Ham-Hams the information we had on the Caidoz pieces and the method I chose was to gave the information to Daruth to interpret and he could tell the Ham-Hams." Daruth's mouth flew open in horror.

"So you were the one who gave me the information about the Caidoz pieces?" asked Daruth in shock.

"That's right," Glabrezu said to Daruth with an evil grin. "I had used a transformation spell to disguise myself and then I befriended you and gave you the information. I knew you were smart enough to read the writing on the parchments I gave you and I also knew you would no doubt share this information with the Ham-Hams but I felt that there needed to be some urgency to get you to share the information and that's where Harmony came into play. I knew she liked to engage in meditations every week and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to fool her. Using astral projection, I projected an image in Harmony's vision, showing her that I was after the Caidoz pieces but the vision was entirely fabricated." Harmony couldn't believe it that she didn't see through the trick. She felt so disgusted in herself.

"Once Harmony saw the vision, I knew she would probably go strait to Daruth to see if he had any new information about the Caidoz pieces and hopefully he would have figured out the clues by then," said Glabrezu. "Once they realize that they know where the pieces are and how to activate them, I knew they they would immediately go to the the Ham-Hams to help them find and put together the Caidoz pieces before we did. In order to ensure the success of the mission, we followed closely behind to make sure you succeeded."

"I personally had been following Boss, Roberto, Stan, Sandy, and Travis to that volcano," said Spat. "I watched you guys enter the little cave in the volcano and I waited outside for you guys to come out but then the volcano began to erupt. The lava had flown towards the entrance to the cave and I knew if the lava covered the mouth of the cave, it would trap you guys and the Caidoz piece inside the cave. To prevent that, I had used my magic to cause the lava to cool as it reached the mouth of the cave." Boss's mouth dropped open as he remembered that when he was running out of that cave, he noticed that the lava around the cave had somehow cooled but he didn't have time to wonder what had happened. Boss couldn't believe that he didn't realize that someone must have used magic to cool off that lava.

"That's not the only time I've helped," said Spat. "After saving you guys from the lava, I teleported to Rokugon to help Neteru's wife and her friends find the next piece. Prior to her arrival, I had made a deal with Agasha. Glabrezu told me that Agasha was plotting to take revenge on Soshi so I came to him and made him an offer. I told him I would kidnap baby Kuni for him in exchange that he would destroy the Ham-Hams in addition to Soshi and Kuni. Since he had no way of getting anywhere near Kuni, he accepted the deal. I gave him the Caidoz piece and told him that he could use it as bait for the Ham-Hams. Using my magic and my wings, I flew up to Kuni's room, cut the hole in the wall and then kidnapped Kuni." Upon hearing this, Mara remembered that when she was inspecting Kuni's bedroom for clues, she wondered how could someone had flown up there and cut a hole in the wall. Now she knew. "After I saw Mara and the others go after Agasha, I disguised myself as a maid using a transformation spell. I then ran to Arwrue and then showed him the ransom note that Mara had left behind." Mara gasped as she remembered that Arwrue had told Soshi that it was a maid that informed him that Soshi was after Agasha. Mara felt sick by the idea of being used like that.

"Of-course, the trick was to help ensure the illusion that we were after the Caidoz pieces," continued Glabrezu. "For that, I decided to reveal myself that I was trying to get the pieces even though I really was not. Remembering that one of the clues said that a Caidoz pieces was inside a museum, I quickly kidnapped the museum's owner, Simon. After rendering him unconscious, I tied him up and then locked him into a closet. After that, I disguised myself as him." Glabrezu smiled as he noticed the shocked look on Hamtaro's face. "That's right, it was I who assumed the form of Simon and when you thought you were talking to Simon, it was really me in disguise. I had asked the guard to let any visitors who want to see me into the office which explained why the guard let you into Simon's office so readily. During that meeting we had in Simon's office, it was there when I first learned that Neteru had a dear sweet son." Glabrezu's eyes lowered themselves to Kaiu who stood behind his father, shielding himself from Glabrezu's gaze. "At the time, I had no idea Mara and Neteru had a baby and this knowledge allowed for a change of plans."

"When you guys came back to the museum, I had followed the Ham-Hams through the museum under an invisibility spell, waiting for the opportunity to kidnap Kaiu. While Kaiu was admiring that suit of armor, I seized the opportunity to kidnap him. I took him into the basement and deliberately tied the rope around Kaiu's arms loosely so he could escape from his bonds. After tying him up and leaving him in the basement, I had disguised myself into Simon again and then I went up stairs to find Neteru. I had personally wrote the ransom note and gave it to Neteru as well as the Caidoz piece. Neteru was fooled by the letter and I sent him to the basement. I changed back into my natural form and then I teleported back into the basement where I waited for Neteru to show up. During the fight we had in the basement, Kaiu had escaped his bonds just as I hoped he would and then I made it look like I was defeated. As Neteru and Kaiu were hugging, Neteru had dropped the Caidoz piece to the ground but I didn't go after it. Instead I teleported away. Little did you know that I only teleported to a floor above where I changed back into Simon, came down to the basement and told you guys to keep the Caidoz piece."

A wave of guilt washed over the Ham-Hams as they realized that all this time, they had been helping their enemy. If they hadn't found the Caidoz pieces, Glabrezu and Spat would have never been able to enter the Sidereal Palace. They wanted to help but all they did was aid the villains into coming here and they didn't see it coming even though there were so many clues right there in front of them.

Glabrezu grinned evilly as he stood there and enjoyed the sorrow he had caused the Ham-Hams.

"You guys really are too trusting," said Glabrezu. "Now stand aside, I will now open the portal and let my lord and master out."

"Never!" shouted Neteru defiantly. "You will never get past all of us." Glabrezu laughed at the statement.

"Still fighting to the very end," said Glabrezu. "How noble but utterly futile for this time, I have the upper hand. See this?" Glabrezu pointed to the strange staff he was holding. "This is the Staff of Alabasta."

"Staff of Alabasta?!" said Neteru in shock. "Isn't that the staff Belacqua was after?"

"The one and the same," said Glabrezu. "This staff was forged by the fearsome demon named Xenallox. It was a staff that was so powerful, it could destroy entire armies. He tried to escape Hell and enter the Mortal Plane by using the power of this staff but the spell he cast had backfired, causing only the staff itself to be transported to the Mortal Plane, leaving Xenallox trapped in Hell. The staff was later recovered by the priests of Drumstone who managed to discover the evil power of the staff and what it could do. Since they couldn't destroy the staff, they ended up hiding it from the world. Belacqua somehow knew about the Staff of Alabasta and attempted to take it for himself but I beat him to it. Belacqua was searching in the right storage room but unbeknownst to him, I had already found my way into the storage room and had take the staff for myself. I then left a Caidoz piece into the storage room and then used my powers to erase all evidence I had been there.

"With the power of this staff, I can destroy you all without even trying."

"We'll see about that," said Harmony who raised her wand for an attack. "_Abellow geyosso_." A white beam of light shot from Harmony's wand but Glabrezu easily deflected the attack with his staff. Harmony gasped in shock. "This cannot be. That attack should have knocked you off your feet."

"That is only a sample of what the Staff of Alabasta can do," said Glabrezu. "_Demonic Web_." By shouting the command into the staff, a web of some kind shot from the end of the staff. The web flew right past Neteru and it struck the Ham-Hams behind him. The Ham-Hams were caught by the web and then they were flung to the side of the wall where they stuck there. Glabrezu fired two more webs and more Ham-Hams were attached to the other side of the room and onto the ceiling. In less than a minute, Glabrezu had managed to immobilize all the Ham-Hams except for Harmony, Neteru, Mara, Moonbeam, Terra, and Kaiu (who was still hiding behind his father).

The large web that held the Ham-Hams glued them to the wall and ceiling, binding their legs and arms like flies on fly paper. They wiggled and squirmed through the web but they couldn't get themselves free.

"Help us, Neteru," cried Hamtaro from the ceiling.

"Yes, this is most uncomfortable," said Daruth who hung next to Hamtaro. Neteru and the others looked up at the Ham-Hams in shock. Angered, Moonbeam raised her staff and shouted, "_Subbollogo egonnana_." From her staff, a cascading cone of ice shot from the stone on Moonbeam's staff but Glabrezu used the tip of his staff to deflect the shot and revert it back to Moonbeam. The ice struck her dead on, knocking her onto her back. Glabrezu used the power of the Staff of Alabasta to enhance Moonbeam's spell so that the ice actually formed around Moonbeam's body, imprisoning her in a chunk of ice. Moonbeam tried to break free from the icy prison but she couldn't. Wanting to help, Terra began to use her telekinetics against Glabrezu but the protective shield generated by the Staff of Alabasta prevented any form of telekinetics from touching him.

"You need to give that brain of yours a rest," said Glabrezu. From his staff, a bubble was formed and the bubble then trapped Terra inside it. Terra tried to use her telekinetics to move a heavy object to pop the bubble but she quickly realized that the bubble somehow blocked her psionic abilities. She tried to pop the bubble using the quills on her back but that too was fruitless.

"You stop this right now," ordered Harmony.

"Or you'll what?" asked Glabrezu. "You know, you little pixie, I've had it up to here with you and this is the last time you will stand in my way." A glowing yellow beam of light shot from the tip of the staff and struck Harmony in the chest. At first, Harmony stood paralyzed as if she was a statue but then the light began to surround her and soon, it formed a large stone around Harmony. Harmony had been trapped inside a large prison made out of quartz crystal, her body still frozen in place.

While Glabrezu was distracted, Mara took the opportunity to counter strike. She shouted, "_Vivalloco begina_" and from her staff, a strange plant was created. The plant looked like a collection of thorny vines which flung through the air as the plant soured towards it target. The plant was supposed to grab the staff but Glabrezu saw the plant coming and immediately struck it with the tip of his staff. In doing so, the plant was automatically tainted with the power of the staff, leaving it under Glabrezu's control. Glabrezu then redirected the plant back Mara.

"_Shevio_..." said Mara but before she could finish the spell, the plant struck Mara in the chest and flung her to the wall next to the portal. The plant held Mara pinned to the wall, its thorn-covered vines sinking deep into Mara's skin. She cried out in pain as the plant held her pinned.

Upon seeing what happened to his mom, Kaiu immediately ran to Mara's aid, shouting, "Don't worry, I'll help you, Mommy."

"Kaiu, don't," ordered Neteru but Kaiu had already gotten away from him. Glabrezu watched Kaiu run to his mother and decided to destroy him. He aimed his staff at Kaiu and from the staff, an orange beam of light shot towards Kaiu but Neteru saw the attack coming and he immediately placed himself in-between the ray of light and Kaiu. In doing so, he saved his son but he also received the full blast of the attack. Neteru tensed in pain as seemingly every nerve in his body was screaming in pain. What Neteru didn't realize was that the spell was a "Advodarious Spell." A spell that hurts worse than anything else as it tears you to shreds. By the time the spell had ripped its way through him, Neteru's body struck the ground hard, covered from head to toe in burns and cuts.

There were some shocked and horrified gasps from the Ham-Hams but none of them could be heard over the sound of Kaiu screaming, "DADDY!" Kaiu repeated "Badda-Badda" as he ran to his father who laid bleeding there on the floor. Kaiu frantically knelt down to Neteru, tears pouring down his face.

"Please get up," pleaded Kaiu through his tears. "Oh Daddy, please don't be dead." The Ham-Hams watched tensely as Kaiu frantically tried to awaken his father, especially Mara who was in tears herself.

After what felt like forever (even though it was only a minute) Neteru groggily opened his eyes and looked up into the face of his son. Even though Kaiu was just a child, he could still see that his father was dying. Neteru's breathing was short and shallow and he was bleeding everywhere. Kaiu was helpless to save him and all he could do was be by his side. As Kaiu sat next to his father, he suddenly felt an ominous shadow descended upon him and as he looked up, he saw Glabrezu with his staff pointed at Neteru.

"Stand aside so I may finish the job," ordered Glabrezu.

"No," shouted Kaiu as he put himself in front of his father to protect him. "I wont let you hurt my Daddy."

"Kaiu, don't," said Neteru in a dull whisper. "You must go."

"I'm not leaving you," insisted Kaiu.

"Get out of the way, you little brat," seethed Glabrezu.

"No, he's my Daddy and I love him," said Kaiu as tears formed in his eyes. Glabrezu flinched in disgust at the sight of seeing Kaiu's selfless act to save his father.

"Very well then," said Glabrezu. "If you want to be with him so much then I shall kill you both." Glabrezu raised his staff, ready to use his magic on them. Despite the fact he was going to die, Kaiu would not leave his father alone and he instead wrapped his arms around Neteru and said, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, son," said Neteru as he wrapped his arms around Kaiu in comfort. The Ham-Hams began begging and pleading to Glabrezu to spare Neteru but their pleads did nothing to help.

"_Kokalbomral elzenionk_," said Glabrezu and a large orange ray of light shot from the staff....

_Author's note: There's one last clue to Glabrezu's plan that I had hidden. Chapter 11 was entitled "Red Herring" and in the dictionary, a red herring is "something used to divert attention from the basic issue." What Glabrezu had done to Neteru was considered to be a red herring because Glabrezu's attempt to obtain the Caidoz piece in chapter 11 was merely a way of steering Neteru (and the audience) away from the fact that the Glabrezu is not really after the Caidoz pieces himself. Also, I would like to point out that the zodiac signs of the hamans are my own fabrication._


	15. The Comets of Hope

Temple of the Zodiac

Chapter 15: The Comets of Hope

What happened next went by so quickly, it was almost instantaneous. The bright light of a terrible curse shot from the tip of the Staff of Alabasta, sailing through the air with the intent of ending the lives of a small boy and his badly injured father. At first, it looked like it was the end but, like a miracle, something leaped out and saved them but it wasn't any of the Ham-Hams or a guardian angel. No, what saved them was a single Telekinetics Spell that thrusted Kaiu and Neteru out of harm's way. The spell tossed Neteru and Kaiu to the side and they hit the hard stone floor of the temple just a few inches from where they were. Glabrezu's spell harmlessly struck the floor of the Sidereal Palace, blasting a hole into the stone floor with a loud explosion. This sudden rescue caught everyone by surprise, including Glabrezu who turned his gaze around the room to find out where the spell came from and to his surprise, the spell was cast by Spat who stood in-between Glabrezu and Neteru and Kaiu to protect them.

"Spat, what are you doing?" demanded Glabrezu as his confusion and anger rose.

"I wont let you harm these two," said Spat as he raised his pitch fork defensively.

"Are you mad? They are our enemies and they should be eliminated as soon as possible," said Glabrezu.

"You were about to kill a sweet little boy and his father," seethed Spat. "The portal is open to us now. There's no need to commit murder upon an innocent child."

"What about you?" asked Glabrezu. "You endangered the baby of that samurai."

"I didn't intend to put Kuni in any real danger," said Spat. "I personally ensured the safety of Kuni and her mother by allowing Agasha to come and save them and I even watched the fight through a Scrying Spell to make sure Kuni made it out okay. My heart was pounded when Agasha nearly killed Kuni."

"So you're nothing but a softy," said Glabrezu. "Bocka would never approve of having a soft hearted fool serve him."

"Despite how much he hates humans, Bocka would never harm another ham-ham for his own gain, unlike you who had taken at least a hundred lives, including ham-hams, in the centuries we've worked together," said Spat. Many mouths dropped open in shock at Spat's sudden display of a conscience

"These so called 'ham-hams' are nothing but a bunch of slaves to the human race," said Glabrezu angrily. "Have you forgotten what Bocka has always taught us about humans. He warned us that the human race will dominate the world and destroy us all and they have. Humans everywhere have been expanding their populations so quickly, their own planet can barely support them. Their disrespect towards nature has been appalling with their pollution and their dominance over other animals. If they are not stopped, they will destroy the world."

"Not all humans are that bad," insisted Spat. "All the hamans in this room were faithful and got along well with not just their own pets but with ham-hams in their own environment. After watching their teamwork, I realize now that there is still hope for humans."

"You're just a pathetic weakling," said Glabrezu. "After Bocka has you destroyed, he will appoint me as King of the Ham-Hams. This world will fall under my rule and under Bocka's and no weakling such as yourself is going to stop me." With that, Glabrezu turned around and headed towards the portal to release Bocka from the Astral Plane.

Glabrezu repeated "Ticky-Ticky" as he approached the two dials in front of the portal.

"Of-course, I'm smart enough to not include instructions on how to open the portal in the papers I gave to Daruth," said Glabrezu as if he was talking to himself. "To open the portal, the dial on the right must be set to the current zodiac sign. Right now, we're in the middle of the zodiac sign Cancer." To demonstrate, Glabrezu grabbed the knob of the dial on the right and turned it until it was set to the zodiac sign of Cancer. "The dial on the left is meant to be set on our current ascendant zodiac sign. The ascendant zodiac sign is the zodiac sign that the sun is currently rising up to. Now according to my calculations, the current ascendant zodiac sign is Capricorn." Glabrezu turned the left dial until it was set to the sign of Capricorn. Once the dials were set to the right setting, the portal immediately began to glow. The doorway within the borders of the portal was beginning to glow a white light as the portal was being opened. The writing along the border also glowed brightly in a dazzling display of light and color.

The light from the portal glowed brighter and brighter as the door to the Astral Plane began to open. The Ham-Hams averted their eyes as the light began to grow brighter until, all of a sudden, the light went dim. Now that there was no blinding light, the Ham-Hams turned their gaze to the portal and gasped. They were able to gaze into the Astral Plane through the portal. Gazing into the Astral Plane was like gazing into outer space itself. Through the portal, they could see the vast realm of stars and planets that was beautiful to behold.

Not wanting to waist any time admiring the stars, Glabrezu raised his staff over his head and said loudly and clearly, "I summon the great and powerful Bocka, God of the Earth. Follow the sound of my voice and find your freedom. Come out, enter our world and grace us with your presence." Through the open portal, the Ham-Hams could see a blue light. An orb of light that was flying towards the exit to the Astral Plane. The Ham-Hams watched in anticipation as the orb grew closer and closer. The blue light from the orb flowed into the temple as the orb exited the portal and hovered off the ground in front of Glabrezu. The orb began to expand and change shape as the orb transformed. Mara, Neteru, Terra, and Moonbeam began to feel a strong energy coursing through their foreheads since they're more receptive to the energies of the divine that was radiating from the orb like a sun. The energy was so strong, it was almost overwhelming to them. When the glow disappeared, the Ham-Hams gasped as they got their first look at Bocka.

Bocka looked like an ordinary ham-ham but there was clearly something very powerful about him. He stood as tall as Boss and had a muscular chest. His arms and his entire backside was completely covered in black fur but his face and the front of his body had fur that matched Boss's bronze colored fur only it was darker in hue. When Bocka opened his eyes, an amazing power began to radiate from his eyes. Although they couldn't see it, they could certainly feel it.

Upon seeing Bocka, Spat immediately dropped to his knees and said, "Oh master, I'm glad you've finally returned." Bocka turned his gaze towards Spat and smiled upon seeing him.

"Oh Spat, my loyal servant," said Bocka in deep voice that sounded like an echo. "It is so good to see you too."

"Don't forget me, master," said Glabrezu, stepping into the conversation. "It was through my brilliance and cunning that has brought you here." Bocka turned his gaze towards Glabrezu and eyed him as if he was studying him. Bocka casually approached Glabrezu and as he did, Glabrezu knelt down in order to bow to him.

"Indeed, if it weren't for you, I never would have been able to escape that accursed Astral Plane," said Bocka. "Now, here's your reward." Without warning, Bocka grabbed Glabrezu by the neck and then lifted him off his feet. Everyone, even Glabrezu, was surprised by this sudden action. Glabrezu tried to fend himself with his staff but then Bocka began to surround Glabrezu in an aura of red light which paralyzed his body.

"You don't seek to destroy your loyal servant, do you?" asked Glabrezu in fright.

"No, instead I'll do much worse," said Bocka. "I'm banishing you and that accursed staff back to Hell where you came from." With a flick of his wrist, Bocka opened a round portal right behind Glabrezu. A cold chill ran down everyone's back as they gazed upon the portal which looked like a swirling mass of red colors. What lay behind the portal was hard to see since the image of the world beyond was obscured as if they were seeing it at the bottom of a toilet bowl as it was being flushed. But through the obscurity, they could make out lots of red and black shapes which could only be the most terrifying images known. Glabrezu cried out, "Noooo" as he and the staff was tossed into the portal and it sealed itself, trapping Glabrezu forever.

The Ham-Hams were amazed at what they had just witnessed. Bocka had just imprisoned one of his own servants but why, they couldn't figure out. To make the situation even stranger, Bocka proceeded to the open portal to the Astral Plane. He stood in front of the portal, spread out his arms and said, "Neanna, hear my voice. Follow the sound of my voice and find the path to your freedom." From deep within the Astral Plane, a bright golden light could been seen. Like before, a glowing sphere was flying through the Astral Plane and towards the portal, filling the temple with its bright light as it came closer and closer to the exit. Bocka stood back as the sphere flew into the temple and immediately began to change form. As was the case with Bocka's entrance, this sphere too began to morph and change shape until the light died down, revealing a beautiful ham-ham.

She was completely white in color and had an aura of power glowing around her. Her eyes twinkled like jewels and strapped around her head was a single gold band that was decorated with quartz crystals and moonstones. Without another word, a strange energy began to surround the ham-ham as a spell was cast. A white light shot out from her body and expanded outwards in all directions. For a brief moment, as the power coursed through their bodies, the Ham-Hams felt weightless as if they had left their bodies for a moment. When the spell came to pass, the Ham-Hams opened their eyes and were shocked to find that all the scars from battle that once covered their bodies had been removed.

All the Ham-Hams who were trapped on the walls and ceiling by Glabrezu's web had been freed and they had been miraculously placed safely onto the floor. Moonbeam had been freed from the ice that had imprisoned her and now she laid on the floor warm and without any signs of frost bite. Harmony had been freed from her prison of quartz crystal. Mara had been freed from the plant that held her pinned to the wall and all the cuts on her body caused by the plant's thorns had been removed. But most importantly, Neteru had been completely healed from all his injuries. Every cut, every bruise, and even all the blood that was spilled had been removed. Now that he wasn't in pain, Neteru sat up from the ground and as he did, Kaiu immediately hugged him with joy.

"Daddy, you're all right," said Kaiu with joy. Neteru lovingly returned the hug. Mara ran up to them, repeating "Badda-Badda" as she ran up to them, and hugged them both.

"Thank goodness you're both okay," said Mara. As the family was embracing each other, the rest of the Ham-Hams had their eyes fixed on the second deity who came into their midst: Neanna.

Bocka turned one of the dials in front of the portal which closed the portal automatically. He then smiled as he said to Neanna, "It's good to see you again, sis."

"Same here, my brother," said Neanna in a soft voice as the two embraced each other in a hug.

"Heke," said the Ham-Hams.

"But I don't understand," said Hamtaro. "I thought Neanna and Bocka are mortal enemies."

"We were but after spending so long trapped in the Astral Plane, we had a lot of time to think to ourselves," said Neanna. "Despite the fact we were trapped in temporal stasis, we were still aware of what was happening on Earth."

"You see, years ago, back when the dinosaurs became extinct, the two of us began to rebuild the world so new life could form," explained Bocka. "Using the Giga stone Neanna had invented, we guided the evolution of the world and then created humans and ham-hams. As soon as the question over who the dominate species was going to be was brought up, arguments began to arise between myself and my sister. After studying the humans' behavior, I saw hatred and violence amongst their kind. Believing that they would cause great pain and suffering if aloud dominance over the Earth, I vowed to have them shunned from the world and forever be primitive apes while the Ham-Hams took over."

"When Bocka made that suggestion, I was horrified," said Neanna. "I personally believed that the human race would do great things and I wanted them to rule the world along side ham-hams but Bocka was determined to rid the world of the humans race. Fearing that he would do something drastic, I kept him away from the Giga Stone. Also, I made sure that no one on Earth knew too much about him because I feared Bocka's violence towards humans would spread to other ham-hams and make them become violent and evil."

"I was furious how my own twin sister had me kept in the dark like that," said Bocka. "It only made me more determined to save the world from the wrath of the humans. I knew I couldn't over power my sister because we were both equally strong and we had just as many celestials working for us. I decided to seek help from somewhere else but the only place where I could acquire the help of spiritual beings was from Hell. We both feared Hell because it was a place that prevented the most fearsome monsters from escaping into this world. Left with very few options, I decided to risk it and seek the help of a demon. After searching through the horrors of Hell itself, I found two demons who where willing to serve me. Their names were Glabrezu and Ulzogga."

"When I found out that my own brother had enlisted the help of demons, I was terrified that he was spiraling down a path of destruction that would surely affect the world for the worst," said Neanna. "Knowing I had to stop him, I began to devise a way to keep him from destroying the world. Since I had no known methods of destroying him, my only option was to imprison him and the only place I could send him that would contain him forever was the Astral Plane. I put together the twelve Caidoz pieces and then unlocked the door to the Astral Plane. I lured my brother into the temple but the only way I could force him into the Astral Plane was to drag him into the plane, thus imprisoning us both into the Astral Plane. After we were imprisoned, one of my loyal celestials closed the portal then separated the Caidoz pieces and spread them through out the world."

"After we were imprisoned, our celestials returned to their home plane, except for Harmony and Spat who volunteered to stay in the Mortal Plane and find a way to free us," said Bocka. "Meanwhile, the demons I had let loose on the Mortal Plane was still free. Ulzogga had betrayed me by seeking out his own personal power by stealing the Giga Stone. Meanwhile, Glabrezu and Spat worked together to find out how to free me. They found the ancient scrolls that contained the information about the Caidoz pieces and they later gave that information to Daruth."

"Over the years while we were trapped in the Astral Plane, we still had the power to see what was happening on Earth and, at a very limited extent, we could still influence the fate of small groups of people and ham-hams," said Neanna. "As I watched the evolution of humans, I soon realized that Bocka was right along about the human race. I was devastated and horrified by how violent the human race was towards each other and how they showed so much disrespect towards nature. Watching the horrible actions of the human race, I quickly realized that what Bocka said about the human race was all true. Undaunted, I was determined to find the good inside humans. At first, I tried changing a boy named Roberto into a haman but I quickly realized he was a rather poor candidate since he was reluctant to exploit his powers so he could be better connected to ham-hams and Harmony knew this. I waited for years for another chance until the day came when I discovered the Ham-Hams. I was amazed by the kind and friendly nature of the Ham-Hams. I suspected that their humans would be the same way so I decided to use that to my advantage."

"I decided to use the statue again but this time, I used it on five kids who were close to the Ham-Hams since they were the owners, except for Travis. I then used my powers to lure you all to Ankorbak to see if humans can peacefully interact with other ham-hams in their territory and the hamans had done so just as I had planned."

"While in the Astral Plane, Neanna and I could not communicate with each other so at the time, I didn't know what she was up to," said Bocka. "Then came the day when Glabrezu turned the citizens of the your town to stone. That caught my attention and as I watched the proceeding events unfold, I quickly learned about what Neanna had been doing. I was curious when I learned about what happened with Laura and her friends. Watching them interact with each other, I was amazed at how well the humans got along with the Ham-Hams. For the past four years, I've watched in amazement as ham-hams and humans worked together and from what I've seen, I've learned that I was wrong about humans and that they were not as bad as I thought. Also, after seeing the violence that took place here, I knew that by consorting with demons, I've put others in danger. You have to under stand, I just wanted to help the ham-hams and because of me, I've only made things worse."

"Don't say that," said Neanna gently. "You were right about the human race and what they would to do this planet if they became a dominant species. Not to mention I should have listened to your opinions rather than shun you from others." Bocka smiled in response.

"Perhaps we've both been rather foolish," said Bocka. "From now on, lets work together rather than against each other. Deal?"

"Deal," said Neanna as she hugged her brother. Harmony and Spat couldn't help but cast a smile to each other. At long last, there was peace.

"So now that you're back, what are you going to do know?" asked Kaiu.

"Well, we've been away from the world long enough," said Neanna. "I say it's time we took charge again but first, we're going to need the Giga Stone. Moonbeam, if you will." Moonbeam walked up to Neanna, knowing what she was about to do. Neanna placed a paw to Moonbeam's chest and said, "_Gegolock envenious sedonus_." The Ham-Hams watched in amazement as a strange green stone came out of Moonbeam's chest. Moonbeam didn't feel any pain as the Giga Stone was removed from her body. The stone she had kept inside of her, thanks to Neteru's magic, for all these years was finally removed and returned to its rightful owner. With the Giga Stone in hand, Neanna said to her brother, "You ready to change the world?"

"I'm ready," said Bocka. Paw in paw, the two walked towards the exit of the temple, repeating, "Ticky-Ticky" as they walked. The Ham-Hams followed close behind as the two deities walked out of the temple.

As soon as all of the Ham-Hams were outside, Bocka telekinetically closed the double doors to the temple. He then telekinetically pulled the Caidoz pieces off the door and directed them to hover over his up raised paw and instantly, the Caidoz pieces fell apart, their symbols removed and their power once again disabled. With the Caidoz pieces now in pieces, the Sidereal Palace began to sink into the ground, the Earth shaking as the temple disappeared under it. Once it was entirely underground, all traces of the Sidereal Palace was gone except for the single rock that protruded from the ground. Bocka held all twelve of the Caidoz pieces in his arms.

"Now we must go, thank you all for your help," said Neanna with a smile and with that, Neanna, Bocka, Spat, and Harmony began to rise off the ground and fly up into the air.

"Bye-Q, Neanna, bye-Q, Bocka," said Hamtaro as he waved "good-bye."

"Bye-Q, Ham-Hams," said Harmony as she floated away.

"Please come back soon," said Bijou.

"Glad we could help you," said Kaiu. All the Ham-Hams waved to the two ham-ham deities as they ascended into the sky.

That night, Kaiu and his family was in his bedroom as they read him a bedtime story. Kaiu sat on the end of the bed between his mom and dad as his father held up a book and read the story to him.

"'With the evil Bonchi Raven destroyed, nothing stood in Kaeru's way as he made his way to the Galena Mountains to find Zellax, the fire breathing dragon,'" read Neteru from the book.

"That was so cool that Kaeru could take on those huge ravens by himself," said Kaiu.

"Well, that's enough for now," said Neteru.

"What?" said Kaiu. "But I want to hear more."

"Sorry, but it's time for bed," said Mara. "You'll hear the rest of the story later, I promise. Now get into bed." Reluctantly, Kaiu laid down onto his bed, allowing his mom to pull his blanket over him and tuck him into bed. Mara lovingly kissed Kaiu on the forehead before saying, "Good night, son."

"Good night, Mommy," said Kaiu.

Neteru was about to kiss his son good night when suddenly, the door to Kaiu's bedroom swung open. To everyone's surprise, it was Terra who came in and she seemed out of breath as if she had been running.

"You guys, you got to see this," said Terra.

"What's wrong, Terra," asked Mara.

"Come out and see," said Terra. Curious, the three hamsters followed Terra as she led them outside.

Upon stepping outside, they quickly realized what Terra was talking about. High above them in the night sky was a meteor shower but not like any ordinary meteor shower they've ever seen. This is because the meteors they saw sailing through the sky were giving off a dazzling display of light and color, like nothing they had seen before. It was like the sky was raining rainbows which flashed colorfully in the sky like fire works. Kaiu stared up at the sky in amazement as if mesmerized by the shear beauty of it all.

"What is it, Daddy?" asked Kaiu.

"It's a meteor shower but I've never seen a meteor shower like this before," said Neteru.

"This is no ordinary meteor shower," said Mara. "I've heard of this. They are The Comets of Hope."

"Comets of Hope?" asked Neteru.

"What's that, Mommy?" asked Kaiu.

"When I was a girl, my mom always told me that according to legend, when Neanna comes back she will conjure the Comets of Hope which signals to the world that she has returned and the world is going to turn into a new direction."

"So this is Neanna's way of telling the world that she's back?" asked Kaiu.

"Exactly," said Mara. "However, instead of announcing Neanna's return, this is an announcement of the return of Bocka and Neanna.

"Wow, are they really going to change the world?" asked Kaiu.

"Yep, they sure are, son," asked Neteru with a smile.

As Neteru, Kaiu, Mara, and Terra admired the sky full of meteors, other ham-hams and humans around the world were watching the astronomical display as well. All the Ham-Hams and their owners were standing near their bedroom windows, watching the falling stars and admiring the dazzling light show above them. Boss had stepped out of Clubhouse to get a glass of water when he saw the display of lights overhead. Like Neteru and his family, Boss stood there at the entrance to his home, transfixed in amazement at the sight of the meteor shower overhead. Of-course, the Ham-Hams were not the only ones who was watching the skies.

All the way in Rokugon, Soshi and her family was standing outside their home, admiring the astrological display above. Soshi stood there with Kuni in her arms, Kitsu standing to her right, and Jingle standing to her left. The family was watching the meteors in amazement and wonder.

"Look at that, Kuni, a meteor shower," said Soshi. Kuni only giggled as she reached towards the skies as if she was trying to catch one of the meteors. Soshi just laughed at her daughter's antics.

"Yeah, you want one of those, don't you?" asked Soshi as she cradled the infant in her arms. Meanwhile, the two men had their eyes on the meteors.

"Well isn't that a pretty sight," said Jingle.

"It certainly is," agreed Kitsu.

Meanwhile, not too far from them, Arwrew and Asakura were sitting on the roof of their home and staring up at the sky. The lights and colors from the meteors danced across Arwrew's face as he stared up at the meteors.

"Amazing," said Arwrew. "The Comets of Hope. I never thought I would live to see them."

"Me too," said Asakura. "This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my entire afterlife." Arwrew giggled in response.

Meanwhile, about five miles away from Rokugon in a tribe located in the middle of a forest, two newly weds, Cade and Ilde, were sitting on top of their home and admiring the stars when all of a sudden, the sky was filled with meteors.

"Wow, I've never seen a meteor shower before," said Ilde in wonder.

"I know, it's so beautiful," said Cade. As he watched, he felt Ilde's paw grab his own and the two sat their, paw in paw as they admired the falling stars together.

As the two lovers sat and watched the stars fall, two other lovers were also doing the same thing all the way in Halastia. Those two lovers were Seamore and Barrette who sat in front of their photo shop, admiring the sky full of light and color. Not far from them, Daruth stood outside his mansion, watching in amazement at the display of falling stars above him. He smiled to himself as he said, "At last, the Comets of Hope have finally arrived."

Five miles North of Halastia was a small island called Drumstone. Even from this small island, the meteors were clearly visible and all the now free citizens of Drumstone was watching the meteors in wonder. This included Tick and Amy who was standing on a balcony of the castle.

"I don't believe it, it's the Comets of Hope," said Amy.

"I knew Neteru would be able to free Neanna," said Tick.

"And to think, the world is finally going to be set on a right track," said Amy.

"Yes, it's no wonder why they're called the Comets of Hope," said Tick. "For the first time, there's hope for everyone."

"What do you mean?" asked Amy.

"Everyone of every species has been given a second chance," said Tick. "This world has been spiraling out of control for centuries. With Neanna back, the world will finally have guidance."

Of-course, Tick wasn't the only one who was thinking that Neanna's return signified a change for the future. Hamsters and humans all over the world were looking up at the night sky with wonder and amazement at the sight of all the colorful lights that flashed along the night sky. Some of them knew of the legend of the Comets of Hope, filling them with joy and excitement knowing that the world was finally going to take a new turn for the better. For those who didn't know about the legend, they only thought the meteors were just a natural phenomena and were very pretty to look at. But out of all those who was watching the falling stars that night, none of them had the same impact from seeing those meteors as the Ham-Hams did because this all would never had been possible if it hadn't been for the Ham-Hams. It was with teamwork and friendship that united not just themselves, but many different ham-hams from miles apart. Out of all the terrible things Glabrezu had done, he was right about one thing: Only teamwork could possibly bring the twelve Caidoz pieces together, teamwork that Glabrezu could not manage with his evil and selfish ways. If he had only known about the power of friendship, he would have known that even the kind hearted Ham-Hams could convert an all powerful god to their side. Even little Kaiu realized how important friendship is and he also realized how special he was to have been a part of it. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around his father and said, "I love you, Daddy." Neteru didn't say anything but instead, he picked up his son into his arms and hugged him tightly. The future is bright for both the present generations and the new generations, and as father and son held each other, it symbolically sealed their happy futures together. After all, there's no stronger love than the one between a father and his son.

**The End**

_Author's Note: Yes, it is finally over. I would like to give a big thanks to all who read my saga and stuck by it for all this time. Now that you've managed to reach the end of this story, I suppose you're wondering if there's going to be another story in the saga and the answer: no. I know I had mentioned that I would think about the possibility of a sequel and after thinking about it for months, I decided not to write another story. After writing four stories over a period of one year, I've grown bored of it. There are so many other things I'd rather do with my time than write the fifth story to the Neteru saga and I wont have that chance to do those things if I'm stuck writing a fifth story. And even if I did write the fifth story, it would be nothing more than a way of pleasing my fans. A story written without any passion to it would not turn out as good as the other stories so it would be senseless to write the story. I'm sorry but this is where I have to leave the audience wanting more. Thank you again for reading my saga._


End file.
